Naruto: Father of the Year
by Alucard1959
Summary: Set 6 years after Sasuke's betrayal, we see Naruto coming back from his extended training trip with not just a new destructive arsenal of Jutsus and abilities, but he is also holding an 8-year-old daughter named Fuyuko. Join Naruto and his daughter Fuyuko on their journey to gain a stable life while being the best father he can be. NaruxHarem, possible Crossover, possible lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**Naruto: Father of the Year**

 **Prologue**

 **The Prodigal Child's Return**

"So this is Konoha, Tou-san?" A young girl asked, her small hand wrapped in another's, her supposed "Tou-san", as she stared towards the foreboding village. She had spiky light purple hair, cut short and manageable. She had stunning blue eyes, practically mirroring the man whose hand she held so tightly. She wears a white kimono with a purple obi sash, and tabi socks with black zōri sandals, a regal look to her that most would not believe could be in a young lady. (1*)

"Yep, this is where your papa grew up, his stomping grounds. It's good to be home," A older male spoke, smiling at the towering buildings that could be seen from the gate. His hair was blonde hair cropped short and manageable, as his daughters was. He held a Konoha headband, a symbol of his rank in the Konoha core. His attire was a black uniform-style jacket with an orange zipper that features several buttons on the waist and sleeves. He wears a red armband with an Uzumaki crest on his left arm as his right arm sleeve hung there, empty. (2*)

"I-It looks massive, I can't believe people can live in such a big place." She gasped, staring towards the village that waited for her and her father. She has heard so many stories about this location; the food, the culture, and most definitely the people, everything was so fresh in her mind, almost as if she had lived with these concepts for her whole life. She could remember all the dreams she had about meeting her father's best friends, the people he considered closer than family - she wanted to know everything about them and about this place.

"I suppose it is, I guess I haven't thought about it like that." He snickered, a wave of nostalgia washing over him as he noticed the large monument to the four past leaders and the one that holds the mantel today.

"Oh, Tou-san I forgot to ask; when's Nii-san coming back from her little trip? Will she be living with us in this village too?" She said, practically gitty at the prospect of seeing her supposed sister - seeing as she hasn't seen her in quite some time because of a few of her new dealings.

Her father squeezed her hand in assurance,"definitely, I wouldn't have it any other way. She'll be here in a day or two, I'm sure of it. Maybe sooner, you know how fast she is." He said, seeing his daughter nod vigorously, happy to know her favorite/only sister might be coming back sooner rather than later.

Soon, the two arrived at their destination, the gates of Konoha in all its fame and glory. Two shinobis, as usual, stood guard of the gates, both looking quite bored of the whole thing, until they spotted the two walking towards the gate - forcing them to straighten up and stand at attention. "Halt, identify yourself!" One said, working a bit too hard to give off this air of authority.

"Halt? When did this become the drawbridge of a medieval castle?"The blonde man snickered, happy to see the two guards of the village haven't changed too much from when he was a boy.

"Haha, the man's got you there." His friend stated, laughing under his breath at his co worker's attempt to sound more important that he already was. Though being a guard to one of the elemental nation's strongest villages is a privilege, he and his friend knew they probably wouldn't be the two that could stop an unrelenting invasion. They were here to simply check papers and see if everything was on the up and up while occasionally bring things up to the Hokage if things seemed to get weird.

"S-Shut it! I'm sorry if I wanted to try and add a little variety to my life. Standing in front of a gate, watching people coming and going, actually gets a little stale! So excuse me for wanting to spice things up! Ahem, now then, back to the task at hand. Who are you and what is your purpose for being here?" He said adamantly, defending his statement to the bitter end before he decided it would be best to continue with his job as the keep of the gate.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I believe you still have my shinobi records?" The blonde stated with a smile, unaware of the guards widening eyes almost as if they feared the very mention of that name.

"N-N-Naruto?! No way, it can't be." One said, transfixed on the whiskered man's adult features and bright blonde hair.

"Something wrong?" Naruto asked, his eyebrow cocked at the man's unwavering stare - soon, his small companion quickly clung to his pant leg when the guard's gazed quickly turned to her, studying her like some form of anomaly.

"Oh dear Kami, it's like looking at a ghost. What should we do?" The other questioned, quickly pulling his friend towards him into a huddle, leaving the two newcomers to trade confused looks.

"Lady Tsunade would want to hear about this, asap. She'd have our heads if this wasn't brought to her right away." His friend whispered, making sure this blonde wanderer couldn't hear them or his tag along.

"Hello? Hey, guys, I'm right here. It's kinda rude to talk about someone like their not here." Naruto sighed, a bit aggravated at the two's lack of courtesy shown from these two, especially seeing as he hasn't been here in quite some time and they're making it out to seem like he's some sort of anomaly.

"Umm, Naruto, we were thinking it might be beneficial if you and your little companion come with us. The Hokage would probably like a few words with you." One said while the other nodded rather nervously, almost as if he had seen a ghost.

"Sure guys. Why didn't you just say so, I haven't seen Baa-chan in forever. Come on, Fuyuko-chan, we're going to go meet your great Baa-chan." He said, his smirk soon returning as he grabbed his daughter's hand once more and ushers her through the threshold of Konoha.

 **Hokage Office:**

"Okay, so that's…..126, 127, 128, 129, and now 130. There, I finished the final stake of damned paper. Now give me my bottle of Sake Shizune, now!" A sigh escaped the leader of Konoha's lips as she points her finger towards her assistant, who, at this moment held a bottle of Sake in one hand with a stake of paper in the other. The Hokage, as it seems she's never aged a day, still held her light-skin complexion and her lively brown eyes and straight, blonde hair. Her hair came to her waist with her bangs framing both sides of her face. To the inhabitants of Konoha, she has stayed the young, ill-tempered Hokage they've come to love and adore, and she' grown to love her people. Now, the job on the other hand….that's debatable.

"Not just yet, Lady Tsunade, there's the "shorter nurses outfit" proposal -a rather stupid proposal if you ask me, but still- and the "no smoking in establishments" petition you need to sign off on. It seems they've gotten all 500 signatures you required to pass it." Her assistant stated firmly, placing the forms on her paper - filling up the supposed "empty" file box. Shizune doesn't seem to have changed over the years either, her fair-skin, height, and slender build was practically identical to 6 years ago. She held deep, black eyes and straight, shoulder length black hair. Shizune attire consisted of a long bluish-black kimono with white trimmings, held closed by a white obi, and open-toed sandals with low heels. "Then, after that, you have an appointment with the Civilian Council in an hour, this time focusing on the growing pandemic of-" She began, only to hear her long-standing sensei scream.

"Oh Kami, kill me now! Take me now and save me from this nightmare! How, how in kami's name did Sarutobi do this, how did anyone do this? This is fucking torture. I need to find a replacement, someone, anyone who would take my position as Hokage!" She pleaded, her head colliding with the hard mahogany of her desk.

"Don't say such things, Tsunade. You are a wonderful Hokage and you have many more years in you. I know it." Shizune reassured though she knew it wasn't going to do all that good. Tsunade hasn't had the initiative for quite some time, even seriously considering the idea of quieting which Shizune quickly squashed before it could continue, or at least she thought.

"Don't say that, Shizune, please. I can't stand the thought of doing this for five more minutes, let alone five more years." Tsunade mumbled, her forehead still firmly placed on her desk as she tried to rest her eyes for just a moment - maybe then she could muster up the desire to continue, just maybe.

"It can't be that bad, Lady Tsunade. You have the respect and admiration of all the inhabitants of Konoha. You are considered the strongest being in all of the village, little girls idolize you, and you've given respect and admiration to the word Kunoichi." Shizune stated, bring up a very good point. Truthfully, Shizune has seen quite an impressive curve in passing Kunoichis in the Academy's enrollment reports, and she's even heard personal accounts were Kunoichis say that Tsunade was a huge influence in their desire to continue their training and success. "Weather you like it or not, you've shaped the ninja world in a very positive way, you should be proud."

"That's all well and good, and getting the name of Kunoichi a boost in respectability is wonderful, but I'm sick and tired of being nothing but an overpowered politician. I used to save lives, fight armies, take risks! Now…" She stopped, lifting her head from her desk with a sad expression, "*sigh* now I'm just stuck behind this desk all day, wasting away. Sometimes I wonder why I even took this job in the first place."

Soon the room grew noticeably colder, as the stern yet kind features of Tsunade and the warm smile of Shizune were replaced with a sadness that is only reserved for mourning, which it seemed they were in the moment of doing. Shizune turned to her clipboard, unable to match Tsunade's gaze in fear of tearing up, "you know why because he knew you could do it. He believed in you."

"Believed in me? Hell, he even _wanted_ this job the second I was done with it. I remember one day while I was lecturing him on why he shouldn't replace people's shampoo with ink, he told me to keep this seat warm for him, that I was just a placeholder for now. And some day, he'll take this hat from me if it killed him…" She chuckled at the memory, but the heart that usually accompanied such a laugh was lost, replaced with a saddened, almost bitter tone. "Is it bad that I still miss him?"

A knot grew in the back of Shizune throat, making it very hard to answer. You could see she was practically fighting back her basic urges to cry, which she succeeded in but barely as she wiped away the tears building on the forefront of her eye. "Of course not, we buried him 2 years ago. We all still miss him, he always found a way to make every day seem a little more bearable."

Tsunade gritted her teeth, not possessing the same strongly held will her assistant had when it came to hiding her emotions in critical times - leaving the Hokage to be the sole person in the room to weep for their fallen friend. "...Jiraiya you bastard, you said you'd bring him back to us safe and sound. That was 6 years ago, 6 freaking years!" She hissed through her clenched teeth as she gripped her desk, leaving a distinct handprint in it. "And now, you've dropped off the face of the earth and Naruto...h-he's de-"

A knock at the door, "excuse me, Lady Tsunade, the gate guards are here to see you. They say it's something that you really need to see to believe." The secretary popped her head into the room, cutting Tsunade's mourning short.

"Not now!" She yelled, turning her chair from her secretary - hoping to hide the tears that now freely fall from her face. Though she was human she was also a leader of an entire village, she couldn't let them see death sway her emotions so easily, especially when it's a death that's happened 2 years ago.

"Lady Tsunade, we can't let our….emotions cloud our judgment." Shizune said, wiping a small tear from her face as well. "They're the gate guards, they must have a good reason to abandon their post."

Tsunade said nothing, her face in her hands before she quickly wipes her face clean of tears. "Fine, but it better be good or they'll learn how it feels to fly from the top of the Hokage Tower. Send them in, Chi."

"As you wish," The now named secretary Chi said respectfully, bowing gracefully before she goes to retrieve the two guards from the waiting area, leaving the Hokage and her assistant to their collective thoughts, which, unfortunately, were still on the young man they once knew. Though they weren't given enough time to dwell on their thoughts for too long as the guards barged in, both looking as nervous as they possibly could be.

"Lady Tsunade, we're so sorry to intrude, we really are." One said, bowing courteously towards their leader, which his friend soon copied.

"Yeah, it's just….you gotta see this." His friend said as he shot up from his bow and quickly pointed her attention towards the door.

"This better be important to leave your posts," She said with a slight grimace, still rather emotional from what transpired seconds ago.

As the two guards discussed their reasoning for leaving their post, they were unaware of their guests conversation outside the door. The young girl who was so attached to her father mere moments ago was rushing down the hall, ready to go through the door that held in it the Hokage and her supposed Obaa-san, only to be stopped by her father, who held a stern but still loving expression."Shouji-kun (Daughter), not so fast." He said, his daughter stopping in her tracks as her father rested his hand on her shoulder, "what have I told you about running off from me?"

"...don't do that?" He nods though he wasn't too happy about his daughter's rather coarse breakdown of one of his golden rules. During his time as a wanderer, he's created many rules that his daughter needed to abide by, not because he wanted to control her, but to make sure she can stay with him without being hurt. He loved her and would be damned if anything happened to her, she knew this quite well. She sighed, "sorry, Tou-san. I-I was just really looking forward to seeing Obaa-san, I've never had one before!"

Naruto couldn't help but smile, running his hands through her silky smooth hair. "I know you're excited, I am too - it's been a long time since I've even stepped foot in Konoha, I can't wait to show you off to all my friends." She giggled at that, "just….let me walk in first, alright? Me being back will be a bit of a shock to Baa-chan's old heart, I want to ease her into you, alright my little snowflake?"

"Hai, Tou-san!" She declared almost as if she was answering the command of a superior officer.

"That's my girl. Now, are you ready to meet her?" Fuyuko nods vigorously, so hard, in fact, it looked like her head would pop off. "I'll take that as a yes." He stood, ushering his little girl to stand behind his left leg as he took slow, confident steps towards the Hokage's office, a smile growing bigger and bigger the closer he got and the more pronounced his Baa-chan's voice became.

"Well, what was so important that you had to leave the gates of Konoha unprotected?" And soon her question was answered by the slow reveal of a familiar yet unfamiliar face. Her eyes, now widened to the point they would pop out if she wasn't careful, were dead set on a tall, sun-kissed _man_ who stood before her, his trademark grin the only thing that separated this man with another famous blonde who's face is etched into the mountain for all to see.

"Hey there, Baa-chan. Long time no see - no matter how much time passes, you find a way to stay the same." He said with a knowing snicker, unaware of the mixed emotions placed etched on each individual's face. "You too, Shizune-chan, you don't look like you've aged a day, impressive." His compliment seemed to have fallen on deaf ears because each lady he addressed seemed to be more focused on his face than the words that came out of it.

Tsunade was the first to break the silence, her eyes widened at the arrival of this familiar face. "N-No, no, no! T-This can't be, what type of sick trick is this?!"

Naruto cocked a brow as he scratched the back of his head in confusion, "what type of greeting is that, Baa-chan?" He asked, expecting more of a "Welcome back, you baka!" or something of that variety that probably would end with him flying from her office, trying to escape her wrath. "I know you've never had the best social skills but-" his statement was cut short by Tsunade's assistant who seemed to be visibly shaken from Naruto's appearance.

"It can't be, it just can't be!" Shizune whispered, raising her hand to cover her quivering lips.

Though not the sharpest knife in the box, Naruto could tell something was off with them and it had to do with him. "Ummm Baa-chan, Shizune-chan - is everything alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"What is the meaning of this? Why have you brought this...this imposter to me?!" Tsunade asked, no, demanded, her eyes turning to the guards.

"Imposter?" Naruto asked, though is question went unanswered.

"This isn't real, you can't be here," Shizune said, taking a tentative step forward, towards the supposed "imposter".

"Why can't I?" He asked once more, getting rather annoyed at being ignored so blatantly by people he was so giddy to see just moments ago. His daughter squeezed his pant leg, growing visibly more nervous about the whole situation; though she was happy to meet her Obaa-san moments ago, the constant yelling was putting her on edge.

The guards spoke up, pointing to Naruto as the do so. "T-This is why we left our post, Lady Hokage. This man claims to be _the_ Naruto Uzumaki."

"I am _the_ Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo!" The room gasped, unprepared for such a noticeable catchphrase to leave this so called "imposters" lips.

"That's impossible," Shizune said, the phrase still reverberating through her mind. Only one person truly said that with as much heart and convection as this man just did, " _could it be?"_ Shizune wondered, " _could it really be him?"_

"How is that impossible? What am I missing here?" He asked, only to be greeted with more silence as the occupancy of the room eyed him, some with rage while others with tear filled hope. "Can you three start making sense please? I've been back in the village for about 30 minutes and I already have no idea what is going on."

The room grew silent, only for Shizune to speak up - her voice noticeably shaken from this experience. "...Naruto Uzumaki has been dead for the past 2 years."

Now it was Naruto who remained silent, his eyes widened at the proclamation just stated by his favorite Medical-nin, even his daughter couldn't' believe what she just heard; her father, dead? How could that be, it's a lie, it has to be - he's standing right here! "...T-This is some kind of joke right? For all those times I've pranked you guys." He asked, trying to chuckle as if he saw the reasoning behind why they would do such a thing, but his chuckled died in the back of his throat at the unwavering dread that washed over Shizune's and Tsunade's face. "I-If it is, it's not funny."

"We would never joke about something like this." Tsunade said bitterly, staring at the supposed Naruto with a numb expression. "Naruto Uzumaki left Konoha 6 years ago to train with Jiraiya of the Toads, that training trip was suppose to last only 3. 3 years when by and we saw no trace of Jiraiya or Naruto for 5 whole months. After those 5 months of silence, I sent out an ANBU squad to track them down, sadly they didn't have any luck finding them in the Land of Fire's border. It took us quite some time to acquire permission from the other Daimyos to allow us to search their lands as well to find them, but we were determined to do so. After what felt like ages of fighting back and forth, we finally got permission to search under the assumption that we were solely searching for missing shinobi. A week after we were allowed into our neighboring countries, we found what remained of Naruto Uzumaki. His tattered orange jumpsuit and…..and the only _physical_ evidence of him, his arm from the elbow down. So there can be no possible way _you_ could be Naruto Uzumaki and your impersonation of him is both insulting to his legacy and disgusting, it will not stand! Not as long as I draw breath!" Her expression physically changed over the course of her story. It first started out numb, as if speaking of a typical mission or statement, but then when she discussed the pieces of Naruto found by her trusted ANBU her face twisted into a scowl, physically hurt by the mere mention of what they found.

T-Tou-san, s-she's scaring me!" She clung to Naruto's thigh, her eyes clenched shut.

"It's okay, Fuyuko-chan. Everything's gonna be alright," He said, gripping her hand with his, hoping to calm her down, "there's just been a little misunderstanding, let daddy handle it, alright?" She nodded slowly, still unable to pry her eyes open. "Now, me and Baa-chan are gonna be discussing some grown-up stuff, so your gonna have to step outside for a moment. Can you do that for me?" She shook her head no, tightening her grip on his pants for dear life. "Sweetheart, I know you're scared, but I'll be right here. Nothing bad is gonna happen, alright?" She refused to release him. "Would you feel more comfortable with a clone?" She stayed firm on his leg for a few extra moments before she reluctantly nodded. He quickly conjured up a clone who she instantly attaches to, then the clone takes Naruto's little snowflake outside to the waiting area, leaving the adults to discuss this disorienting misunderstanding.

Watching this display between father and daughter, Tsunade grew curious. "Who is that?" She asked, watching as the young girl disappeared with her father's doppelganger.

"If you could believe it, she's my daughter - Fuyuko Uzumaki." He smiled, proud to introduce his daughter to Shizune and Tsunade, though he would have been happier if he could have done that under better circumstances, you know, when they didn't accuse him of being a imposter or a defiler of his own name.

"WHAT?!" The collectively yelled, practically shaking the very foundation of Konoha - Naruto wouldn't be surprised if it was heard all the way in Suna.

"N-Naruto would never have a child at such a young age," Shizune stated.

"I've changed a lot, Shizune-chan. I've had one hell of a journey over the past 6 years and none of it was easy," he said with a heavy heart. "If I had to be honest, I'm not the Naruto Uzumaki you once knew. I've grown a lot more than I ever thought I would, dattebayo."

"I...I still can't believe it, how could you possibly be Naruto? I saw that battlefield, I found your arm." Shizune stated, recalling the images taken of the final battlegrounds of Naruto Uzumaki and the disembodied arm that was brought back to Konoha. It looked like a massacre, scars etched into the battlefield and trees uprooted from their original position, it looked like all hell broke loose and Naruto, unfortunately, was caught up in it.

"The Akatsuki bastards had to take something from me, whether it was my life or my arm." He rolled his right sleeve, revealing the stump where his right appendage used to rest; "they nearly took both that day. Baa-chan, Shizune-chan - I'm truly sorry that I've been gone for so long, I couldn't imagine the sight you two must have seen." He said solemnly, covering up his wound as the two processed what they just saw. Were they wrong? Was this truly the Naruto they thought was gone for 2 years now?

Tsunade, biting her lip to hold back her grief, started to speak, "...A-All we found of you was your jacket sleeve _soaked_ in your blood...a-and the reminisce of your arm, what did you think we were going to think when we found that?" She asked even though she knew Naruto didn't have an answer for her. "We feared the worst, we buried what we thought was left of you. For two years, two agonizing, unrelenting years we've mourned your death. We've only _now_ been able to try and move past this tragedy."

He never thought of that, if he had found that same scene, would he have thought differently? Probably not, "...I'm sorry, I didn't know." He said remorsefully, aware of his huge oversight and how much grief he must have brought these two and the friends he has made along the way.

"Where the hell do you get off in saying you're sorry! You don't get to say that, not now not ever!" She yelled, her volatile emotions coming to the forefront, "you could have come back, you...you allowed us to think you were gone forever. We all grieved in our own way, some of us more so than others, but this village grew visibly more dismal the moment we "buried" you. Y-You don't get the right to say you're sorry! You could have prevented this all, damn it!"

"...I never imagined something like this would happen, but I couldn't just return; there was much that still needed to be done. Even though I wanted to, I knew I couldn't come back until I set everything right, that's what Jiraiya-sensei would have wanted." He said, catching the attention of his Hokage.

"Wait, what do you mean by that? What happened to Jiraiya?" Naruto remained silent, his shoulders visibly slouched. "What happened to Jiraiya?!" She was growing more desperate, her eyes widening in fear.

"Unfortunately, I don't know." He said sternly, "he protected me, possibly even giving his life to make sure I would live another day." His fist tightened as a name came to mind, a name more disgusting to him that poison. " _Pein,_ his name was Pein, the leader of the Akatsuki. He and his partner, Konan were the two who took my arm and possibly Jiraiya's life. I've spent the past 2 ½ years hunting down every last Akatsuki member and looking for any reminisce of Jiraiya. I wasn't able to protect my sensei, but at least I can...defend his legacy."

"J-Jiraiya might be….might be dead?" Naruto sadly nodded, tears slipped from Tsunade's eyes as the knowledge began to slowly seep in. "Jiraiya…." she bit her lip harder, practically drawing blood as she tried to contain the sobs that could follow. " _Jiraiya, I've been mad at you for so long over something you couldn't control…..I'm sorry, Jiraiya. I'm so sorry!"_ Slowly, she felt something slip around her body, she looked to find Naruto next - his single arm squeezing her body to his with a tear escaping his eye. His eyes spoke volumes to Tsunade, they were the same as hers, full of sadness and mourning for the departed Sage.

"I know Baa-chan, I know." No words needed to be traded by the two, both knew each other's pain far too well to need something as simple as words to express them. Tsunade placed her head on his shoulder, allowing the built up tears flood his clothing - and all he could think to say was simply, "I'm sorry," as he allowed her to release her emotions for quite some time before she slowly composed herself.

The room was full of unwanted and unrefined emotions dealing with Jiraiya's possible death and Naruto's return, emotions that no one knew how to handle or actually wanted to handle at this moment. They felt drained from this ordeal, so Tsunade thought it would be best if they spoke of something different, something that is somewhat tied to their emotional troubles but distent enough for them to be able to talk about without bursting into tears like before. "Naruto-kun, you said you've been spending the last 2 ½ years fighting the Akatsuki. How could you possibly know where to go? Even we haven't been able to find a single trace of them."

"You can thank Jiraiya-sensei for that," he said with a somber smile. "During the first 2 years we were gone from Konoha, he'd spent a huge deal of our time honing his spy network on the Akatsuki and their actions while also teaching me the ins and outs of his business. After his...passing, his responsibilities were passed down to his heir of his will, which means yours truly is now the overseer of Jiraiya's entire spy network." He smirked at that, though in his explanation you could tell his struggle to explain it like it was just a normal thing. Everyone knew that Naruto was very close to Jiraiya and that if anything happened to him, Naruto would be the first to be offered his duties - but neither of them believed it would have happened so early. However, even though Naruto was still very young to be given such a large spy network, he took on the responsibilities and continued his sensei's work. In all honesty, it was actually quite impressive for his age, not many 17 year old boy can say they run a massive, interlocking network of information. "I've been all over the Elemental Nation tracking every lead, every possible sighting, and every single mention of their names. I've killed 3 of them and physically wounded another."

"Impressive, you have been quite busy." Tsunade said however, she still wasn't very thrilled to know he couldn't have said _anything_ to her over the course of those 2 ½ years, but she put that in the back of her mind for now, more focused on the statement he just made. "Which ones?"

"I've killed Sasori of the Red Sand, but I was only able to wound his partner, Deidara," he stated.

"How did you wound him?" Shizune wondered.

"Oh, well seeing as he used an odd technique where he created C4 out of two mouth like openings on the palms of his hands, I did the sensible thing and I took both of his arms. But, the slippery bastards still got away by making Sasori a decoy." He said with a sigh, still to this day annoyed at that slippery bastard's escape.

"Geez, I'd never think you would do something so...barbaric," Shizune said, shocked at his way of dispatching his enemies ace in the hole. However, she was not by any means disappointed or disgusted by his actions, she probably would have done the same in his position - she was merely surprised that he would have done something like that to win. The Naruto she remembered wasn't much of a strategic or methodical type of fighter, going for more of an 'overpowering opponents' approach before thinking of taking away his opponents special technique. She was shocked but also very much impressed by his quick thinking and good strategy, Naruto truly has grown.

"It was the only possible way I could take away his advantage. Even though I won the battle, I knew if I hadn't taken him out first I wouldn't be here today." He stated, very much aware of how close he was to possibly losing that battle at any moment. At the time, he might have been strong enough to take them on, but he's a proud enough man to say his strength and strategy was severely lacking back then, something he's worked on quite hard to perfect. "His technique was easily one of the most distracting and disruptive ability I've faced to date. That along with Sasori's poison, I needed to take one of them out."

"Who were the other two, Naruto-kun?" Shizune wondered.

"The supposed "immortal tag-team" of Hidan and Kakuzu. Both were incredibly strong, almost unbeatable if I didn't have a little back-up and integral knowledge of how to beat them." He said, remembering how dangerous these two were together.

"Immortal tag-team?" Tsunade asked.

"Both of them had abilities that kept themselves alive and moving even after devastating amounts of damage. Kakuzu used a technique called Jiongu which allowed him to store several hearts within himself so if one failed or was fatally damaged he could use the other ones to keep him alive. The other was more of an experiment per say, he was given "immortality" by this deity named Lord Jashin after he was used in a ritual by several of Lord Jashin's faithful servants." He explained, "Hidan was the most annoying to get rid of, but thankfully, an idea came to mind."

"And that would be?" Shizune questioned.

"Separate his body parts and place them in scrolls - then send those scrolls to five positions in the Elemental Nation that no one would ever find them. Also, if by some miracle someone was able to collect the first five scrolls, I've kept the final scroll, the head scroll, on my person - so they'll have to go through me to get it." Naruto quickly slipped out a single scroll that was labelled "Head" and placed it on the Hokage's desk. Another critical battle in his growth as a Shinobi, both Kakuzu and Hidan put up a massive fight and even though he had grown from his battle between Sasori and Deidara, he still wasn't strong enough to face them alone, especially because of their eccentric move set and skills.

"What is with you and dismembering people?" Tsunade wondered morbidly, noticing a sickening trend of disassembling people from Naruto's reports.

"Hey, these people are dangerous, bloodthirsty S-ranked Shinobi; whatever it takes to remove them from the equation is justified in my book," he said confidently before a thoughtful expression took its place on his features. "But now that you mention it, my dismembering problem might have started when Konan took my arm. Haha, maybe I'm taking it out on my enemies." He said cryptically though he smiled at the odd parallels of the idea. "The final one, Kakuzu was slightly easier to deal with than Hidan for the simple fact that he knew when to shut up. With Kakuzu I merely kept him going, I didn't allow him any rest or anytime to retrieve a new heart - that battle was hard on both of us, but I came out on top, giving me an opportunity to try out a new technique I'd been testing out. So, by and large, everything turned out alright."

"It sounds like if we keep up the pressure you began, we might be able to eradicate them far quicker than originally anticipated," Tsunade said, the idea of having an upper hand against the Akatsuki gave her more hope for the future, though, her hope didn't last too long thanks to Naruto's next statement.

"Unfortunately, it won't be as easy to find them as much as the first two groups were." He said with a sigh, "it seems they are tightening the reins on their members, forcing them to keep an even lower profile - going so far as to forgo fighting any Jinchuuriki's for the time being. Also, even though they've kept the information on the group, even more closer to their chest, I've been able to find out they are recruiting more members to their group. Sadly, the three I have taken out might be getting replaced as we speak."

Tsunade sighed, "damn, do you have any idea who these people might be?"

"No, my spies are branched out far and wide to find any traces of the Akatsuki, their base, and possible recruitments. I haven't heard anything but who knows, we might snag something." He said, putting his faith in his spy network. They've given nothing but 100% since he became their leader, leading him to trust his comrades implicitly with their task - even going so far as naming one of them as a pseudo-leader once he left, asking only for daily updates on anything of importance.

Tsunade sighed in aggravation as she realized eradicating this group might be harder than just killing their members one by one. "Well, even though I still would have appreciated at least a letter informing me that you were okay, I can see why you couldn't return."

"I can't hold it in anymore, you're alive!" Shizune said, unable to hold in her joy anymore as she jumped at Naruto and latched onto him, linking her arms around his neck in a crushing hug. "I thought you were gone, I thought I'd never get to see you again!" She stated with utter glee, holding Naruto tight as if to never let him go.

"I've missed you too, Shizune-chan." He said with a smile, admiring the warmth and love he felt from this embrace. "and you too, Baa-chan." He snickered as he saw Tsunade's eyebrow twitch at Naruto's nickname for her. Though he used it many times today, she really didn't pay too much attention to it, seeing as she wanted to figure out if he, you know, was actually the real Naruto, but now, seeing as the facts have been laid bare, his little 'Baa-chan' cracks were starting to get old.

However, this was not the time for violence. This was the first time she has ever seen Naruto in 6 years, she could have plenty of times to abuse him for pointing out her age later, now was a time for joy. "I'll let that Baa-chan crack slide, for now," She said, standing from behind her desk and walked to his side enveloping Naruto around his waist, squeezing him tight enough to know that this meant something monumental to both of them. "You have grown a lot over the years Naruto, I barely recognized you and I never thought I would see the day that you would ever take something seriously."

He couldn't help but loop his only arm around Shizune and said, "Haha, it kinda comes with the territory of dealing with a massive, inter webbing spy network, becoming the new bearer of the Toad Scroll, and being a father."

Tsunade looked to him, the mention of his final and most important duty peaked her interest. "Yes, about that whole "becoming a father" thing. How exactly did that come about? I feel like you're a little too young to be having sex."

"Well, technically I was considered an adult the moment I received my headband, so I was allowed to do everything a full grown adult could do - that includes having sex, but I digress," he said, recalling what a certain white haired pervert told him. "Now, my daughter isn't related to me in the traditional sense."

"What do you mean?" Shizune wondered.

"Well, I adopted her," He said.

"That makes much more sense, she seemed much too old to be considered you child!" Shizune said happily, her mind completely off the topic of her supposed dead little brother figure is no longer gone, and now squarely on his little ankle bitter. "So, come on, give us the details! I want to know everything about her!"

"Better yet, how about you meet her. Fuyuko-chan, it's alright, you can come in now." Soon the door opened, the young Fuyuko Uzumaki nervously peered into the room with one hand still tightly gripped on the clones pant leg. Slowly, she released it, allowing him to dispel into smoke - leaving her alone, in full view of the people inside the Hokage's office. "Hey there, sweetheart. I've got two people I'd like you to meet." She slowly walked forward, her face covered in a blush that would put a certain Hyuuga to shame. "Sorry, she's a bit shy when she's around new people."

"That's alright, I'm used to children. I worked a year in the pediatric wing," Shizune smiled, walking up to the startled little girl with a small yet inviting smile. "Hey there Fuyuko-chan, my name is Shizune and I've known your father for quite a while. I would say he's almost like a little brother to me, which makes you my niece."

The young lady of the hour looked to the hardwood floor and meekly said, "H-Hello Shizune-san, i-i-it is nice to meet your acquaintance."

"Wow, she's actually polite and well spoken, are you sure you raised her?" Tsunade teased, playfully nudging the blonde with her elbow.

"Ha, ha, ha, you're so funny I forgot to laugh," he said dryly. "I may not be the best at being polite but I know the basics and I would like my daughter to be better than me in every way. Including politeness, cause that was something I never seemed to get."

Shizune giggled at the adorable way Fuyuko spoke and presented herself, "she is adorable Naruto, how did you two find each other?"

"It's been about 3 years now, I found her during one of my patrols for information about the whereabouts of the Akatsuki. She was 5 when I found her out in the cold rain of the Land of Waves; she could barely keep from shivering. She was sleeping in a makeshift shelter out of old, thrown-out cargo boxes and newspapers, I couldn't believe my eyes - her struggles almost reminded me of my own past. I couldn't let her freeze, so I wrapped her in my jacket and took her into my hotel room. After that, I've never left her side." He said with a warming smile, remembering that day like it happened mere seconds ago. He remembered it with such fondness too, his average life forever changed by one single decision, one in which he would make again and again if that meant he could spend his days with his loving daughter. She's helped him through some very dark times; the death of his sensei, the loss of his arm, and the stress that came with the spy network, her presence just made him continue forward each time - he couldn't ask for a better daughter.

"That's terrible, I'm so sorry she had to go through something so traumatizing," Shizune said as sadness gripped her heart as she imagined this poor little girl shivering in a dingy box, gripping a flimsy newspaper to her body to try and keep warm.

"I can only imagine what she's gone through," Tsunade responded before a determined look came to her, looking at the young adopted Uzumaki with a warm smile. "Well, Fuyuko-chan, I want you to know you will never deal with anything of the sorts in Konoha, not if I have anything to say about it. You will always have a home here."

"T-Thank you, Obaa-chan! This really means a lot to me, I've never really had a home." Fuyuko gleefully said, smiling at not only her Obaa-chan's decree but also by the power she has to enforce it.

"You'll never have to worry about something like that again, Fuyuko-chan," Tsunade said with determination in her voice. She would not allow anyone related to her, whether by blood or everything but, go without food, shelter, or clothing; she'd rather die today than to watch as her favorite blonde and his daughter suffer.

"See, I told you that you'll love it here, Shouji-kun (Daughter)," Naruto said, kneeling to his daughter's height to address her past concerns about the village. During her short period on this earth and even shorter period with her adopted father she's never truly seen such a big village. Even though her father has been all around the Elemental Nation, she's usually be watched over by a clone back at the spy networks headquarters or having fun at Mount Myōboku while Naruto dealt with what he needed to deal with. She was afraid of what to expect from this looming juggernaut of a village, but thanks to her Obaa-chan's statement, she felt far more at ease about this whole transition than ever before. "Much better than camping, don't you think?"

"Definitely," she said, ready to see what this village had in store for her and her father.

"This is amazing, Lady Tsunade. Naruto has come back from the grave and now has brought home the cutest little girl I've ever seen." Shizune giggled, bring the little girl into a hug, rubbing her chubby little cheeks with her own - unaware of the blush the little girl was sporting, embarrassed by the display.

"Think of what the people of Konoha will say, I bet they'll rejoice to hear their energetic knucklehead is back," Tsunade said, walking back to her desk only to stop mid-step at Naruto's next statement.

"Actually, if I may. I would like to ask a favor of you two," he said, catching their attention. "Please, don't tell anyone yet."

"What?!" Shizune questioned, squeezing tighter onto Fuyuko as a result. "Why not? Don't you want them to know of your return? Especially your old teammates Sakura and Kakashi, they would be elated to know you did not die in action. Specifically Kakashi, who's been very conflicted after your supposed passing."

"How so?" He asked, hoping that nothing serious happened to either one of his fellow comrades. Knowing his reported passing had taken a toll on many was hard enough, knowing that his passing might have caused a physical problem with one of his friends was not something he wanted nor could he forgive himself it that happened. However, his mind was put a bit at ease by Tsunade's statement, but not by much.

"He began to question his role as a teacher, seeing as he'd lost both you and Sasuke. No matter how many times Sakura and his closest friends told him there was no way he could have saved you nor could he have stopped Sasuke, he couldn't help but take it to heart." She stated seldomly, recalling the utter shift in the strong-willed cyclops. "To be honest, I couldn't blame him. A few years prior, I was in the same boat he was - but with your return, maybe this weight on him will be subsided."

"I will be more than happy to do so and to see everyone I left behind, but I don't think right now would be the best time to do so," He said, glad to hear that what's happened to Kakashi wasn't serious and did not need his full attention at this time.

"How come?" Shizune asked.

"Fuyuko and I are very worn down and tired, I don't know if we could handle so much attention at once. I'm not saying we shouldn't show ourselves eventually, just not right now. Would two days be alright? To give me and my snowflake here a chance to rest and unwind." He asked, his daughter now returning to his side as Shizune released her and went to discuss this with her mentor.

Both Shizune and Tsunade traded worried looks and hushed statements before the Hokage sighed, "very well, I don't see why we can't give you two days, but I must say, if you are wishing to rest for two days, it would be best to lay low until you are ready to be revealed properly." She warned, tapping her nail on her desk. "We wouldn't want someone to mistake you as an imposter like we did, you might not make it out of Konoha alive."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, curious as to why his visage around town would be such a problem. From what he could recall practically 90% of Konoha's civilian population wasn't too keen on him, and the only explanation he could come up with that he might have trouble in the village is with people who hated him during his youth.

"Yeah, Tou-san must have been missed a lot. He told me tons of stories about how much he loved this village." Fuyuko spoke up with a giggle, recalling how happy her father grew when he talked about his adventures as a Genin with his team and friends.

"Yes I do, Shouji-kun, I love this village almost as much as I do you. almost," she smiled at that, "but, the inhabitants of this village were not as loving. I wasn't accepted by most because...because of something I could not control."

"Why would someone do that?" She wondered, leading the other occupants in the room to wonder of a certain father has told his daughter about his little condition that dealt with a certain fox living in a certain blonde haired boy.

"People are scared of things they don't understand or do not wish to accept, sweetie," he clarified.

"Yes, but those people have grown, Naruto," Shizune stated, a small yet comforting smile gracing her lips. "Once they heard you had passed, they soon realized rather quickly what they had done to you. How they had shunned and bullied a mere child, some were disgusted with themselves while other pretended as if they couldn't have ever done such a horrible thing and mourn your death like any rational person would. Either way, that heinous time in our village has subsided greatly."

"Really?" He asked, believing it to be a bit too good to be true. The same people that denied him food, clothing and the basic needs of any human being actually had a change of heart after his supposed death? Is that even possible? Maybe, some people regret and reflect on what they did to a person after their passing, feeling ashamed and even remorse for someone the once hated.

"Hai, I've never seen anything like it, it's remarkable." She nodded.

"Well, I'll be dam-...Ummm, darned." He corrected himself, peering quickly to his young child before he continued. "I guess I judged them a bit harshly, who knew the could change."

"You were not the only one, we all were surprised by this shift in opinions. But, I don't want you to get your hopes up though, Naruto." Tsunade spoke, "even though the main consensus of the village is mainly positive of you, there are a few who still hold onto their old opinions."

"I expected nothing less." He sighed but was grateful to hear his daughter might not face the same discriminations he did for merely having his last name. Maybe she could gain friends a whole lot quicker than he did, maybe even have a normal life, and it might be odd to say, but maybe this false burial actually was somewhat a blessing in disguise. However, Naruto's deep thoughts were quickly silenced when a loud, reverberating grumble made itself known to the group, originating for the small girl's tummy.

"Tou-san?" Naruto looked to his daughter's meek voice, "D-Do you think we could get something to eat now? I'm starving."

He couldn't help but chuckle at the ravenous growl of his daughter's stomach, though not by blood she was definitely Naruto's daughter. "Sure Snowflake, what are you in the mood for?"

"Ramen! Please, pretty please?!" She begged cutely, grabbing her father's hand with her two small mitts as she shook it vigorously with her lips quivering in a cute pout. "You promised, you said that Konoha has the best ramen stand in all the Elemental Nations and when we got here I can eat as much ramen as I want. Remember?"

"I did promise you that, didn't I?" He said with a smile before he saw Shizune and Tsunade wavering looks, "I know, how about I henge myself. Change my appearance so my daughter and I can get some food without dealing with all the turmoil. We'd be there and back before you know it."

Shizune and Tsunade traded glances before the nodded solemnly, "very well, but before you go I must tell you something about your living arrangements."

"Oh yeah, how is my old apartment anyway?" He wondered.

"Well, seeing as we had to demolish the apartment complex your apartment was in, it's not doing so well," She said cheekily, scratching her head in slight embarrassment that she had to tell him this in this fashion.

"You destroyed my house?!" He yelled, crushed to hear his old stomping grounds had been demolished under the orders of the Hokage herself.

"First off, you don't get to yell at me! We thought you were dead and correct me if I'm wrong, but dead people can't own apartments. Besides, that place was a death trap - no one should ever have to live there." She said, defending her actions with airtight logic. I suppose Naruto's previous thought that his death being a blessing was premature, seeing as he couldn't see the silver lining in losing his only home. "But, seeing as you don't have a place to stay, I would like to offer you a room at the Senju Compound. We have plenty of available rooms and only Shizune and I live there, and seeing as we are quite busy on a day to day basis, you will have a lot of privacy."

"Really? You'd let us stay at your house?" Fuyuko said, surprised at their generosity.

"Of course, little one. No granddaughter of mine will go without a home, and you two can stay as long as you like until you find yourselves a new home." She said, bringing a smile to both Fuyuko and her father.

"Thank you, Baa-chan. This means a lot to us." He said, scooping up his little bundle of joy effortlessly.

"Yes, well I couldn't just let you live on the streets now could I?" She said before a feeling washed over her seeing Fuyuko and Naruto standing before her. It was joy, pure joy knowing that Naruto's death was nothing but a misunderstanding. She could kiss him or punch him or hell she could do both. "...I'm glad your back Naruto-kun, I really am."

"I'm glad to be back, it's been too long." He smiled, "now, if you'll excuse us…" Naruto began to change, his hair turned an ink like black and his blue eyes turned brown as his whiskers wavered from existence, "my daughter and I have some food to devour. See you back at the compound you two."

"The more he changes the more he seems to stay the same, right Lady Tsunade?" Shizune said, recalling how full of life and energy he was back in the day and how, even after 6 years, he still had that energetic glow about him.

"No, I can tell this isn't the Naruto we once knew. He's different, he's grown a lot for the better."

 **\- Ichiraku Ramen -**

As Naruto made his way through the village, he had to stop himself from greeting all the faces he once knew and cared for. Quickly, he arrived at the expanded Ichiraku ramen and he couldn't help but stifle a whimper of happiness when he saw Ayame up and center in front of the grill. He wanted to run up and hug her until he couldn't anymore but he composed himself as he cleared his throat. Soon, he and his daughter took their seats, Naruto having to help his daughter onto her stool of course before Ayame placed two menus in front of them with a generous smile.

"Hello and welcome to Ichiraku Ramen, what can I get for you two today?" Ayame asked her notepad firmly in place - prepared to take each one's drink order. Ayame is a slender girl with long, dark brown hair and large black eyes, plus fair skin. She wore a white robe with the sleeves folded, a dark blue apron with ribbon ties at the top and a bright white bandanna. She's matured over the years, her facial features seem more pronounced and apparent, or it might just be because Naruto has grown older and far more observant, either way, she looked spectacular.

"M-May I have some mint tea, please?" The small snowflake asked, a bit nervous for being put on the spot like this.

"Of course, you can sweetheart," She said with a giggle, his daughter always had a way of melting a person's heart with her cuteness. "And what can I get for you, sir?"

"I'll have a mint tea as well," he said, scanning the menu for his favorite flavors of ramen, unable to decide which one he wants to devour first.

"Alright, I'll get those right out to you and then I'll take your orders," she said with a smile, leaving the two to discuss.

"Tou-san, she seems really nice, do you know her?" Fuyuko asked behind her menu, running into the same dilemma as her father.

"Oh yeah, Ayame-chan and I go way back." He said with fondness, "she gave me my first true meal after I was kicked out of the orphanage. She and her father took me in for a while actually, but they weren't able to adopt me for….come to think of it, I actually don't know why they couldn't adopt me. Hmmm...I wonder-"

his thought would have to wait as Ayame returned with their teas and was prepared to take their orders."Here you two go, one mint tea for the gentlemen and one for the cutie." The little girl blush at her compliment, "now, what can I get you two to eat?"

"C-Can I get two Pork ramen bowls, please?" Fuyuko asked politely, handing her menu back to her lovely waitress/cook.

"Of course, and you sir?" She soon turned to Naruto who was still scanning the menu until something strange caught his eye.

"Oh, I'll have a…..what exactly is a "Naruto" specialty bowl?" He asked, surprised to see his name on the menu and not talking about the topping.

If you were to stare at her for just a moment, you would have seen the corner of her mouth waver into a frown. "It's a bowl we designed in commemoration of our most loyal customer and family friend. It's specially designed to hold three bowls worth of Ramen in three different sections and for a limited time only, if you can finish three of these off in under 2 hours, you win free ramen for three whole months."

"Hmmm, interesting. I'll take three of the Naruto specialty bowl, I'll have two Pork and one Miso, and do I get a coupon for the free three months or do I just have to show my face every time?" He asked, all but prepared to win. It has been 6 long years since he's eaten at Ichiraku's, he's had to suffer through subpar ramen stands for 6 agonizing years, he is going to make the most of out this trip today, even if it killed him….for real this time.

"...Y-You seem rather sure of yourself. You know this isn't some simple buffet, this will be the equivalent of 9 bowls, 1 bowl short of the record made by Naruto Uzumaki himself." She said, concerned for this man's well being if he thinks he could eat as much as Naruto, blissfully unaware of who she was talking too. When he made that record he was merely a boy, his undeveloped and partially malnourished stomach was meant to devour at such speeds - but time and a proper diet has turned Naruto's stomach into a well-rounded eating machine which has been shaped for just such an occasion.

"Oh, well then, I would like to change my order then," he said, handing over his menu.

"Good, now then, what can I get yo-" She began, ready to write down his new order.

"Give me four Naruto specialty bowls, two pork and two miso." He smiled, making Ayame almost drop from his proclamation.

"Y-You can be serious!" She gawked.

"Dead serious, I don't like to back down from a challenge," Naruto said proudly, almost too proudly for such a menial challenge.

"Yeah, Tou-san can take this on, I know he can!" His daughter said, praising her father's dedication to this meal. No one would argue that this was, in fact, his daughter, they're blind devotion to a simple food was almost comical.

"...O-Okay, that'll be t-two medium sized pork ramens, and…..f-f-four Naruto specialty bowls." She began to write down the full order before she peered at the stranger once more, "are you absolutely sure? I don't want you to push yourself. I don't want someone throwing up in my father's restaurant."

"Believe me, Ayame-chan, I've got this!" He said with a smile, a smile that brought forth very familiar memories from Ayame's past. She remembered those exact words, the words of one Naruto Uzumaki when he tackled his own record, prepared to show her that he had the stomach of an Ox when it came to ramen.

"Alright….coming right up," 30 minutes later, two normal bowls were placed before Fuyuko who quickly dug into it, her father's appetite and educate seemed to have rubbed off on her. Then, finally, the three massive, steaming bowls of perfection were placed before the one-armed stranger, his chopsticks posed at the ready. Ayame looked to the clock and marked his time as Naruto dove into the bowls with reckless abandon, ripping through his favor flavor first as onlookers stared the beautifully grotesque display. The way this man attacked this dish so swiftly and efficiently made it seem like he was eating it with four arms instead of one and his daughter just sat there, eating her dish with the same ravenous hunger but on a much smaller scale. They were the same, like one mind and one action, they only thing they didn't truly share was blood.

Soon, the two finished, Fuyuko was first simply because of the size difference in their dish, but her father was mere minutes behind her as he finished and stacked his final bowl before the astonished waitress, clocking in at 30 minutes! 30 minutes was all it took for this man to shatter Naruto's previous record and cement his own as the top ramen eater at Ichiraku ramen! There was no way this man could put this much away without evacuating the contents of his stomach on the floor, but there he was, rubbing his belly with a satisfied smirk on his face as his daughter mirrored his actions.

"You were right, Tou-san," she said with a slight burp. "Konoha has the best ramen in the Elemental Nations, bar none. Thank you so much for the meal, Ayame-san." She said politely, showing an air of maturity an 8-year-old shouldn't possess.

"Would your father ever lie to you?" He said with a chuckle, "now, how exactly does this 'free ramen for three months' thing work?"

"...I-I have no idea." The room went silent, as Naruto's eye twitched comedically. "W-We never thought anyone would actually _win_. It was more of a promotional thing."

"S-So you're telling me I _don't_ get free ramen for three months?" He asked, practically pleading that this wasn't true.

"Unfortunately no, I think we'd go bankrupt if you eat like you just did on a regular basis." She noticed his and his daughters cartoonishly sad expression and couldn't help but do something for them, "well, how about this. Seeing as you deserve some kind of reward for what you did, how about this meal is on the house and I give you a 10% discount for a month? Does that sound better?"

"Well, it's no 'free ramen for a month', but it's better than nothing. You've got yourself a deal, Ayame-chan, and I'll hold you to that 10% discount - my daughter and I will be coming here quite often to make use of it." He said with a chuckle.

"I wasn't expecting anything less. have a great day sir and you too, cutie." She smiled.

"T-Thank you Ayame-san, it was a pleasure to meet you," Fuyuko said, hoping from her stole with a little help down from her father.

"So polite, I've never met a young lady with such manners," Ayame mentioned, happy to see something like this in the next generation.

"Fuyuko-chan has learned it far quicker than I have, that's for sure," he said. "Well, Ayame-chan, I shall see you shortly to cash in my 10% discount, but until then - goodbye, and it was really good to see you again." Naruto left, leaving the apron-clad waitress/cook in seldom confusion as she wondered what he could possibly mean by that.

As he left with his daughter in tow, a cheeky smirk plastered on his features, he forgot to look both ways before he started to walk, knocking into a passerby that seemed awfully familiar. Her long, cascading platinum blonde hair was a dead giveaway from the start but if he didn't have her hair to go on he couldn't tell you that this was the same Ino Yamanaka he once knew. This girl...no, woman before him wore an elegant summer sundress, clearly prepared for a day of relaxation and fun while she also carried a bouquet of beautiful multi-colored tulips. Her hair, which was usually put into a high bun, now cascaded down her back, free of it's usual hair bands.

"Hey!" She barked, her freshly picked tulips now sprinkled across the ground, some even being stepped on by unknowing passersby. "Do you know how hard it was to find these! Now there pretty little petals are dirty, thanks a lot."

"I'm so sorry, here let me help," e said, bending down to help the young platinum blonde with her discarded flowers.

"I don't ne-...ummm, do I know you from somewhere?" She began but soon paused, noticing something strange. It was subtle, almost nonexistent, but she could tell something about this man was...oddly familiar. Maybe it was the way his face was sculpted or maybe it was the way his hair was styled, but whatever it was it gave her this sense of familiarity, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Naruto began to sweat, fearing he had already blown his cover only 40 minutes in, but thankfully, he composed himself and thought of a proper way to respond. "Hmm? No, l don't think so. I would remember your face."

"What's that suppose to mean?" She asked with a raised brow.

"I-I'm just saying you have such a pronounced face." He stammered.

"You're not that good with girls, are you?" Said Ino, seemingly unimpressed with his excuse.

"Tou-san, why is your face red? Do you have a fever?" Fuyuko questioned, pointing out the ever growing blush that started to spread across her father's face.

Ino's apparent problem with the lead-tongued blonde seemed to fall at the waste side when she saw his little daughter, transfixed on her inherent cuteness - as most people are. "AWE! Such a cutie, what's her name?!"

"M-My name is Fuyuko Uzum-" But before she continued, she stopped herself from uttering her last name proudly to keep her father's secret. "Ummm, I mean Fuyuko. My father and I didn't really have the last name."

"I-I've never really liked last names, so….ummm, useless really. Yeah?" He said, however, it seemed more to convince himself rather than Ino. "So uhh, what's your name, if I may ask?"

"The names Ino, Ino Yamanaka, and you have the cutest daughter I've ever met!" She said, gushing at the little girl in her cute white kimono. "If you were a flower, I'd pick you first and never let you go." Fuyuko giggled nervously, her face the same shade of red her father's was mere moments ago.

"Yes, well I think it's time for us to go, Fuyuko-chan. We don't want to leave our host waiting for us," he said, hoping to end this quickly to save himself and his daughter for more embarrassment. "It was nice to meet you, Yamanaka-san, and if you wish I can pay for those tulips."

"You know what type of flowers these are?" She asked, genuinely surprised at his floral knowledge. Not too many people even know what a Tulip is in Konoha, seeing as it's surprisingly rare around here.

"Yes, is that weird or something?" Wondered Naruto.

"Well, no it's just, other than my father and mother, I don't know that many people who know the difference between one flower to another." Said Ino.

Yeah, I guess you have a point. Now, how much do you want for them? I wouldn't feel right if I didn't pay you for them." He wondered, pulling out his wallet in preparations. Thankfully, his grown out of his old frog-like wallet or he might have given himself away right then and there.

"Hmm, well, a bouquet of these are at least 4,912.60 yen (40 dollars) back at my store, but since they have been dirtied up, how about….12,281.50 yen (100 dollars)?" She snickered, an almost devilish smirk began to crawl across her features.

Naruto's eyes widened, "What?!" He yelled, almost dropping his wallet in disbelief. "That's practically four times as much! For dirtied flowers?"

"Yeah, dirtied flowers that _you_ dirtied, and I have to factor in the man hours you just wasted. So I believe 12,281.50 yen is a proper amount," she said, using the rational logic of a complete crook. "Besides, didn't you say you wanted to? That you wouldn't feel _right_ if you didn't?"

"What man hours?" He questioned.

"Do you know how long I spent looking for these special types of tulips?! They're rare in Konoha, and I took extra steps to keep their petals pristine and pure, and then, after hours of searching, you just bump into me like some brute! So, I want my 12,281.50 yen, now." She said sternly.

 _I didn't think it was possible, but Ino has gotten even more demanding over time,"_ he thought, almost finding it hilarious if it wasn't him who had to pay for this crooks twisted reasoning. "...Ummm, how about I help you find some more? It can't be that hard, right?"

"You grossly underestimate how hard it is to find precious and interesting flowers in this village, baka!" She said harshly, reminding Naruto of their old academy days where she would call him that frequently.

"H-Hey, my Tou-san is not a baka!...m-ma'am." She began to say with an authoritative tone, only to lower in octave when she grabbed Ino's attention.

Ino stopped, letting her mind process what the little one just said before she sighed, "you're lucky, your daughter just saved your wallet. Alright, in two days I'll be going out to find some more of these tulips, I expect you to meet me in front of the Yamanaka flower shop at 7 a.m. sharp, got it?" He nodded, "good. Now, where's my 4.912.60 yen?"

"B-But I thought you said-" He began to say, only for her to cut him off.

"Seeing as you are willing to help me retrieve more flowers, I knocked down my price to its original asking price. Take it, it's my final offer." She said, stretching her hand out to collect the money he owed.

" _...When the hell did Ino become so greedy? She's a Yamanaka, why the hell does she even need the money!?"_ He wondered, flustered at Ino's acts and confused as to why the hell does she even care?! Sure, they're flowers and Yamanaka's love flowers but seriously? "Fine, fine. At least, it won't drain my wallet dry. Here, happy?" Reluctantly, he handed over the money, feeling slightly bitter about doing so.

"Very, pleasure doing business with you," she said as she started to walk off, counting the yen she just earned. "Oh, and don't forget, 7 sharp in front of my flower shop two days from now, don't be late," she announced, disappearing into the crowd as Naruto let out a sigh as he pocketed his wallet.

"Tou-san?" His daughter said catching his attention, "she's really pretty, did you know her too?"

"Yeah, she was in my graduating class at the academy," He answered, fondness very much apparent in his voice, even after what transpired just a few moments ago. "It seems time has changed her and honestly, I couldn't expect anything else. Let's head home Fuyuko-chan before Baa-chan gets worried." Before they left, however, Fuyuko decided to pick up the dirtied flowers and take them with her, finding them still salvageable and very pretty to look at.

\- **Senju Compound, 7 p.m. -**

"Jeez, there you are!" Shizune said, standing on the outside porch of the Senju Compound, catching a glimpse of her guest. "Where have you been? How long does it take you to eat?!"

"Easy, Shizune-chan, everything went alright," He said, "we ate a delicious dinner and saw a few familiar faces. I'd say today was a good day, wouldn't you agree, Shouji-kun?"

"Any day with ramen is a good day!" She declared with gusto

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Dattebayo!" Her father matched her enthusiasm. "Sorry to worry you, Shizune-chan, I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

"*sigh* Next time you go out, can you be back a bit quicker? We were worried you were found out, Lay Tsunade and I were ready to hear explosions at any minute." She asked politely even though Naruto knew well enough that it was more of a kind command than a simple suggestion.

"Come on, cut me a little credit," he said, dispelling the henge with a cheeky grin. "I have been running a spy organization for about 3 years now, I've learned a thing or two about not giving myself away. Now, let's get inside, I'll tell you how today went." And so they did, Naruto regaled Shizune and soon Tsunade with his productive day after he left her office, and he could tell they weren't too happy that he had run into Ino and she thought that she had seen him before.

"She seemed so different from when I last met her. Well, as much as a Yamanaka can change, she's still a bossy and controlling as I remembered." He said while he and his daughter got comfortable in one of Tsunade's couches as she and Shizune sit opposite them in their own armchairs. "Has everyone truly changed that much?"

"I don't know why it's so surprising," Tsunade stated, sipping on some tea Shizune had prepared before the two had arrived. "You've changed quite a lot yourself, it's only natural for them to do the same."

"I guess you're right," He agreed, staring at the ceiling as his daughter snuggled into his side, tired from today's events. "It's just….I don't know, I just had this thought that when I came back everything would fall back into place."

"Still as naive as usual," Tsunade chuckled, "people change, especially after 6 years. They've grown and each one has grown for the better, some more than others actually."

"Seeing Ino today was so interesting, I can't wait to see them all again and how much they've grown."

 **-Author's Note-**

 **(1*) - I based Fuyuko design on a "younger" version of Mizore Shirayuki from Rosario + Vampire in her physical features while her attire was based off Tsurara Shirayuki's outfit, Mizore's mother.**

 **(2*) - Naruto's attire is the outfit he wears during Naruto: the Last movie.**


	2. Author's Note: Hiatus

Hello,

It is with a heavy heart that I must take an undisclosed amount of time off from fanfiction. I've been wondering if I should do this for quite some time actually, as many of you have noticed because of my lackluster updating schedule, but I have been burnt out on writing for a while now, it's sadly become, at times, a chore to slog through but I continued because there are hundreds of people who really like my stories and I wanted to give back to them. It has nothing to do with high demand or anything like that, I've just been trying my hardest to create quality content for those who have been gracious enough to review, favorite, and follow my stories - and before I continue I must say, I cannot thank you all enough for the support you have given my page and stories, it means the world to me. So, I don't really know when I will be coming back to , it could be a few weeks or a few months, I just need a break to work on my personal projects and to simply unwind. That being said, this does **NOT** mean any of my stories will be taken off the page or that I will not come back, I will, and hopefully I'll bring a lot more updates for my stories.

Also, Lawrence Helmbain and Darth Khan N7, the two who have given me my first challenges as a Fanfic writer, that also means I won't be updating on your challenges for a while, and I would completely understand if you wish to take your challenge and find someone else who can. My feelings will not be hurt a single bit, I understand you want to see your stories come to life and I cannot do that for you right now. If you two or anyone who has questions, PM me or ask them in a Review, though if you are a guest I won't really be able to answer you.

(12/29/15) As of today, Alucard1959 is on Hiatus for the foreseeable future.

I am sorry and thank you for understanding!


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **The Truth Revealed: Naruto Uzumaki's Swift Return**

 **I own Nothing**

Naruto tossed and turned in his bed, his sheets wrapping around his body in the night as his nightmares haunted him. The vision of cloaked figures hunting him mercilessly, wounding him greatly, only before he is saved by one man, who, unfortunately, took his place, in the sights of his hunters. Screams ripped through the visions before him, hoping - no, praying - for them to end as the visage of his savior giving his last breath to protect him.

In this jumbled mess of images and terror, a young girl has made her way into her father's bedroom - draped in nothing but a blue t-shirt and matching shorts as she watches her Tou-san toss and turn viciously. A scene the young girl was far too familiar with.

No matter how many times her father's assures her that his past was just that, his past, nights like these reminded young Fuyuko all too well that her 'untouchable' father is far from that, he's human. "Tou-san," she called to her father but nothing seemed to change. "Tou-san!" she voiced much louder, this time awakening her father with a start.

"What?!" He yelled, scanning the room frantically to find the source of the sound that just shocked him awake, only for his eyes to fall on the small frame of his young little snowflake, a bit unnerved by his scream. "...Oh, Fuyuko-chan, what are you doing in here?"

She fumbled with the hem of her shirt before answering, "...I-I was worried about you, Tou-san. Were you having that dream again?" She murmured, passing her gaze towards her father's missing limb which was in plain view thanks to his sleep attire. "When you lost your arm."

Naruto sighed as he wiped his brow, "yeah sweetie, I did." He hated when his daughter saw him like this, nothing hurts him more than knowing his daughter knows about how the loss of his arm still effects him to this day.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, saddened by her father's statement only to feel his hand comb through her hair softly.

"Hey, what's there to be sorry for? You've done nothing wrong here," he cooed sweetly, but Fuyuko's eyes still held sympathy and worry for her father's well being. "Hey, I know that face - don't worry about it, sweetheart, all of that is in the past."

Fuyuko looked to her father, a small smile graced her features once more only for her eyes to be drawn to something outside Naruto's bedside window. "Hey, Tou-san."

"Yeah?" He asked,

"There's a bird outside your window. It's got a letter in it's beak," she answered, pointing towards her father's window.

"A Bird?..." Naruto turned to find just that peering at him through his window, now lightly tapping it's long black beak against the glass "The black crow, this can't be good." He murmured, raising the window and snatching the letter from the bird's beak just before it vanishes into a black mist almost as if it was merely an allusion. Once retrieved, he opens said letter and begins to read, his eyes growing wider the more he went down it.

"Tou-san, is everything alright?" Fuyuko asked, seeing the surprise in her father's face.

Naruto looks from the letter to his daughter, his distraught features quickly taking the form of a smile to hide his true feelings, "yes sweetheart, everything's alright….Do you know if Baa-chan is still here this morning?" He quickly changed the subject as he hopped out of his bed, walking straight for his closet to retrieve some appropriate attire.

"Morning? Tou-san, it's 12 o'clock in the afternoon. She said she had a busy day dealing with….ummm, I-I think she said somethin' about a meeting with councillors or something, I don't know...I-I kinda wasn't paying attention. I was eating my breakfast." It's uncanny how similar these two are to one another; just like her father she's more focused on her food than anything happening around her. "But I do remember her saying she might be back by 6 p.m. and for you not to get into any trouble."

"It's 12?" He asked, only to look back outside to notice something that didn't really didn't ring any bells a few moments ago, the beams of sunlight bleeding through the shades. "Damn," He murmured, stumbling out of his closet, now fully dressed, fumbling with his shoes as he plops back down on the edge of his bed.

"Tou-san, what's damn?" Fuyuko asked, halting Naruto's progress with her sudden curse.

He racked his brain a bit to explain this to his still impressionable daughter and came up with something - "...Uuum, it's the grown up version of darn," it wasn't brilliant but it would have to do for now.

"Well...can I say it?" Fuyuko pondered,

Naruto fired back with, "are you a grown up?"

"Yes!" Her father shot her a look only a parent could make, offering her the chance to repeat herself. "N-No," she answered, earning a chuckle from her father.

"Then no, no you can't." Naruto answered with a smile, only to hear his little girl suddenly whisper "darn" under her breath. His smile, however, soon disappeared, leaving nothing more than a saddened yet warm tone to his voice. He knelt before his little girl, resting his hand on her shoulder, "look, sweetie, it seems like daddy's gotta go to work. Something bad has happened and I gotta fix it before it's too late."

"Oh, okay, I'll go pack my toys real quick and we can-" She began but Naruto's grip on her shoulder stopped her from doing so.

"No sweetheart, this one is a solo mission. You stay here, it's safer." He answered, only to see her eyes widen and her lip began to quiver. She never liked be left behind, especially in a unknown place but it comes with the territory of Naruto's profession. "Oh, don't give me that look, you know I would love for you to come with me, you always brighten up those stake outs and long nights of spying, but this one….this one isn't a spy mission, it's a shinobi mission and it's a big one."

"H-How big?" She asked, still trying to play off those crocodile tears of her.

"Real big, it has something to do with Tou-san's friend. He needs me now, but don't worry I won't leave you by yourself. How would you like Grandtoad shima and Fukasaku to stay with you until Tsunade comes back from her meeting?"

"I guess," she sighed, peering up at her father with one final request. "Promise me you'll come back, alright?"

Naruto smiled, no matter how many solo missions he goes on she never lets him leave without swearing that he'll come back. As a father, this shows a sweet while also tragic side of Fuyuko's past before him; she fears that she'll be left alone once again in unfamiliar territory while also wanting her father to promise her that he will be safe on this mission and come back home to her. "Sweetie, you know I will-"

"Pinky promise?" She asked, sticking out her pink which her father quickly looped his own pinky around.

"Pinky promise," She goes in for a hug, snuggling deep into her father's chest in fear that this could possibly be the last time she saw him, an act she's come accustomed in doing each time he leaves for one of his missions. "I love you, Fuyuko-chan." He whispered, kissing her on the top of her head as she deeps the hug, almost fearful to release him.

"I love you too, Tou-san." And with a quick bite of his thumb and a few hand signs, Naruto was off, leaving behind his loving daughter in the capable hands of her green faced guardians. He blitzed through the village by rooftops, giving people below him little to see before he made it to his destination but before he passed the archway leading out of Konoha, Naruto stops and creates a clone - he hands said clone the note he was given and sends his doppleganger off towards the Hokage tower to await Tsunade once she has returned from her meeting.

 **\- Konoha Market District -**

Within the hussle and bussle of noon track in Konoha was a young girl that went by the name of Sakura Haruno. As she ducked and weaved through the marketplace, her grocery list gripped in her left hand, she definitely stood out amongst the crowd, whether it be her striking hair color or her bright attire. Draped in a simple sleeveless red qipao dress with white trimmings and such tied back with a black obi that matches her black shorts that hid underneath her dress.

As she continued down the market place she let out a sigh, "why am I always the one who has to do the shopping? Tou-san and Kaa-san should do just a little once in awhile," she mumbled dryly as she reads over the list once more. "okay, what's on the list today? Hmmm, Hakusai, Daikon, and some-" The pink haired teen's musing was cut short however when she spotted a shadow pass over top of her. She looked to the rooftops and noticed a retreating tuft of blonde hair as it swiftly disappears behind a chimney. Her eyes widened, " _W-What in the-?"_ Her thoughts were cut short as she bumped into a familiar face. "Oh, Hinata-chan I am so sorry, I-I wasn't-"

Her apology was soon silenced by the woman she accidently collided with, Hinata Hyuuga. "I-It's not a problem, not at all. I should have watched where I was going," she spoke, her soft spoken voice putting Sakura at ease for the most part. Taking in her friend's visage, she could tell she had just gotten off a recent mission, seeing as her usual mission garb was still on. A light lavender, sleeveless kimono-style blouse with flattering vertical lines gripped her body like a glove, wrapped with a dark purple obi around her waist. Below said waist she wore a pair of short, dark navy shorts with thigh-high stockings. Over the years Hinata's has taken on a rather different approach to fashion - no longer did she hide herself behind a thick, heavy coat - she was no longer afraid of what people might think of her. This transformation was spurred on by the helpful prodding of her sensei Kurenai and the...passing of Naruto Uzumaki. A lot of things changed once such a tragic death was announced, no one knew of these changes were for the better or worse.

"Here, let me help you with…." Sakura began but noticed what Hinata had actually dropped, a bundle of roses neatly tied together. "You're going to see him today, aren't you?" Sakura was all too familiar with Hinata's typical tradition.

Hinata nodded somberly, scooping up the flowers and dusting off the specks of dirt that clung to them. "...Y-Yes, I haven't been in about a week and...and I just thought he would like some flowers,"

"Well, would you mind if I come? I haven't been in a while either and I'd like to pay my respects." Sakura asked,

"O-Of course, I'd like that." With a somber smile placed on both of their features they were off headed towards their new destination, making small talk along the way, almost trying to keep the idea of where they were going out of their head for as long as they could. The arrived in record time, each growing physically unnerved the closer they came to the hard visage of the memorial stone, the names of all the fallen and forsaken shinobi and kunoichi that have risked their very lives for this village. However, they were surprised to see another likely soul staring over the stone, his masked face hiding the pain that rested within him.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura addressed her long standing sensei, catching him a bit off guard as he stared at the memorial stone fixated on two names in particular. "I haven't seen you around in a long time,"

"Yes well, I thought it would be best to get some air today." Kakashi answered in his usual tired tone but something about it seemed a bit more...sad.

"H-How long have you been here, Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata asked, taking up a spot closer to the memorial stone.

"...That's a good question, sometimes when I'm here I just...lose track of time." Hinata places her flowers on the marble memorial stone, a single tear threatening to break out. She's been so strong for so long, she's tried to find a way to numb the pain of this massive loss but something kept her fragile when it comes to the death of her crush.

The group stood their in respective silence, each looking at the last name etched into the stone, Naruto Uzumaki. Minutes turned into hours as each individual had there own reason for staying - Hinata's unspoken love, Sakura's attachment too the blonde baka, and Kakashi's guilt of losing another student - but their attention was taken when an ANBU appeared before them.

"Lady Hokage has requested your attendance immediately," and like that, the ANBU disappeared in a vial of wind and leaves.

"W-Why does Lady Hokage need us?" She wondered aloud,

"It must be important." Kakashi stated firmly, as he and the rest headed towards the Hokage's tower, unaware of what was to come.

 **\- Hokage Tower -**

With a shove of the door Tsunade stormed into her office, the Hokage advisers tailing not too far behind. "Damn it, what _is_ with this week? So many stressful things are happening, I'm ready to rip my freaking hair out."

"I know this is rough, Lady Hokage, but we cannot let it derail our meeting." One spoke aloud, trying to keep her Hokage on track.

"Meeting? If you'd forgotten the last five minutes, I was just given a report from a very reliable source that our ally, Sunagakure, was attacked and it's Kazekage has been taken, so I think our annual council meeting can wait until I've sent as much help as we can to our allies, councillor." Tsunade fired back rather heatedly, but seemed to not care so much at what tone she took at the moment. Once that Naruto clone came to her office she knew nothing good would come of it and lo and behold, the whole village of Sunagakure was nearly blown to pieces by two cloaked figures and yet these two pions think a meeting over trivial things is more important than helping an ally in need.

"So, Suna's been attacked? I suppose they now know how it feels to be blindsided by something so devastating." One muttered abruptly, still showing that even after 6 years have passed some Konoha residence have not forgiven Sunagakure for their actions against their village.

Her partner chimed in to, saying "I don't know why we should even be sending help to them in the first place, we should let them stew in their destruction. I don't recall them lifting a finger to help us."

"That's quite enough, you two!" Tsunade huffed in frustration, unwilling to listen to two of her people belittle a village who was just attacked. "Over the past 6 years Sunagakure have undoubtedly paid us back for their crimes they committed against us, we have buried our feud against one another the second we realized they were being played by one of our very own. So, I don't want to hear another word from you two about this matter, am I understood?"

"H-Hai," the bowed,

"Good, now leave me, I'm expecting company and I don't need your negative attitude during this meeting." She commanded, watching the two swiftly leave with their tails between their legs. Once gone, Tsunade slipped out the letter given to her boy the doppelganger Naruto and read it over once more before letting a sigh leave her lips. " _Naruto-kun, you couldn't have just waited for me to come up with our plan of attack, could you? No, you had to run off half cocked with no backup. Well...I guess I can't blame him, it is his friend after all."_

As Tsunade continued to muse over Naruto's decision, the three she summoned appeared, each wearing a look of worry and urgency, something Tsunade liked to see. "Lady Hokage, you summoned us?"

"Kakashi, Hinata, Sakura - good, I'm glad you three could make it here so quickly, what I'm about to tell you is quite time sensitive." She began, taking her seat behind her desk. "Right now, Sunagakure is reeling from a surprise attack from the group known as the Akatsuki and to make matters even worse, they've kidnapped the Kazekage, Suna no Gaara."

Sakura was the first to speak up, "the Akatsuki? They're really that bold to attack an entire village?"

"All that and more, they've taken the liberty to light up almost half of the village of Sunagakure." Tsunade answered, "it was strange, from the intel we were given, it seemed like the explosives were placed _before_ they went to capture Gaara as an easy diversion to cover their tracks. Meaning this was a planned attack,"

"With all do respect, Lady Tsunade, but why did you just pick us three? If we are going into a battle against the Akatsuki, shouldn't we have more than one response group?" Sakura wondered, noticing a distinct lack of extra hands for such a mission. If they play their cards right they could take out the entire Akatsuki group if they had enough manpower and found their secret hideout in time.

"Well, at this point you three are the only ones that I can scramble together in such a short amount of time." Sadly, Tsunade knew where Sakura was coming from. If she could, she'd have a three man team hunt down these Akatsuki members and hope that those who attacked Sunagakure to lead them to their base of operations but, there was a problem in that plan. "Many of your colleagues are already out on other long standing missions such as Sai, Shino, and Kiba; while Kakashi here has been asking for missions left and right now adays - so, with all of that in mind, I chose you three to be my first responders."

Kakashi perked up at the sound of his name, "w-well, actually, I've mostly been signing up for _solo_ mission. It might be easier if I did this mission on my ow-"

"That's not an option, Kakashi. This is a very dangerous mission, and no matter how skilled you are you'll need some backup. We have no idea how many Akatsuki members will be involved around this kidnapping, so the more people we send the stronger our chances of survival will be." Lady Tsunade answered sternly, unwilling to think that Kakashi could weasel his way into making this a solo mission. "You three will be heading out shortly, I'll give you 30 minutes to get prepared for this mission. Reinforcements will be sent the moment another group becomes available, are there any questions?"

"Is there anything else we need to be aware of before we leave?" Hinata asked, unaware of the implications such a question had.

"..." She grew very silent, wondering if she should tell them of the blonde they'll be meeting in the field, but she thought against it. "No, there's nothing else I am aware of. Your first stop on your mission should be Sunagakure, there, Temari and Kankuro should be able to give you as much information as they can on who captured Gaara and where they might have headed."

"Hai," and with that, the group of three left to get ready, leaving Tsunade and Shizune to discuss.

Not even waiting a minute after they left, Shizune was the first to let her opinion known. "Lady Tsunade, you didn't tell them about-"

"I know, Shizune, I know, but right now they need to focus on the mission….learning that Naruto is alive would only cloud their judgement." Tsunade said, accurately guessing what her assistant was about to say.

"But Naruto's also heading for Sunagakure, don't you think that his appearance would also cause some shock?" Shizune voiced, worried about how hectic something like that could be on the battlefield. "It could derail the whole mission if they just stumble upon an alive Naruto fighting against an Akatsuki member,"

"Why do you think I asked Kakashi to lead this mission?" Tsunade asked, catching Shizune a bit by surprise. "He may have changed over the past few years but he is still a well trained shinobi, he will keep this team focused enough to complete this mission."

"..." Shizune thought on this only to consided to her point, "I hope you're right, Lady Tsunade,"

"So do I," she said, a single thought still running through her mind. " _This is going to be one hell of a rescue mission,"_

 **-2 Hours Later-**

" _Of course they'd leave me with little to go on."_ Naruto huffed as he came to a jog around the area outside of the now devastated Sunagakure. A part of him wished to stay and help them in any way he could but he knew that finding the culprits and bringing back their leader would help just the same. Besides, if Tsunade had gotten his letter, she's already sent out as many trained shinobi and kunoichis to help protect Sunagakure and to offer some backup as he jumps into the lion's den.

" _No trace of chakra, no footprints, it's almost like they….vanished out of thin air. Even if they had taken to the sky I still would have sensed something,"_ A shadow soon casted itself on the vast stretch of sand as if flew from on high, passing by the sun that's high in the sky. Naruto looked up to find something quite familiar, a black crow now circling around him with ease, a piercing squawk leaving it's beak.

" _You again, huh?"_ Once the bird noticed it had Naruto's attention, it flew south from Sunagakure, hopping the young father would follow in tow. "Well, I guess I should count myself lucky I have someone like you on my side." And without much prodding, Naruto was once off again, following the crow through the golden terrain, his footprints quite pronounced through the flowing sand.

As the Konoha reinforcements arrive on the scene in Sunagakure they had to give a moment to stare in shock at the devastation that has befallen this village. Buildings that once stood as tower pillars of strength were now demolished and burnt to a crisp - the overall landscape of this once great village was now charred and destroyed by the hands of these bastards. "Oh my, I knew they were attacked but….I didn't think the damage would be this severe." Sakura muttered as she and her team walked through the threshold of this village, taking in the sights of this now charred village.

"I've never seen Sunagakure this damaged before," Kakashi chimed in,

"And only two Akatsuki members did this? unbelievable," Hinata spoke up, eyeing the place with a sympathetic expression. She felt truly mournful for these people, not only have they losted their leader but they've also taken a massive hit to their village in the process.

"Even I have a hard time believing it sometimes, and I saw it with my own eye." Baki said, stepping out from inside a tent that held many wounded Suna civilians.

Kakashi went to greet the Suna born shinobi, "Baki-san, I'm glad to see you are unharmed."

"I wouldn't say that, my pride as a shinobi and a man is pretty damn wounded." Baki answered with a grizzled chuckle. "But, that's not why I'm here. Tsunade had sent word of your arrival, I've come to take you to Temari and Kankuro,"

"I'm surprised they didn't come with you, time is really not on our side, every seconds counts." Sakura stated.

"Trust me, they know. But right now, they have no choice but to stay where they are." Baki murmured, "Kankuro was severely injured while Temari is suffering from some 2nd degree burns on her arms and a few broken ribs."

"No way, both of them are down and out right now?!" Sakura asked, bewildered that this group has taken out all three Suna siblings without much of a threat.

Baki nodded, "hai, they put up a great fight, but in the end, they just couldn't take him."

"Wait, they were beaten by one of the Akatsuki members?" Kakashi asked,

"Yes, the other was facing off against Gaara-san." Baki informed, "the one Kankuro and Temari were facing had a very destructive ability, he could use C4 to manifest these disturbing creatures that imploded on either contact or on his command. Kankuro's puppets couldn't even get near him without being blown into a thousand pieces and while Temari was holding her own against by keeping her distance, the explosions just grew to be too much for her." As he recapped the events of his student's battle you could tell he was growing more and more tense, infuriated that he couldn't have held his team defeat this menace. "I wish I could have been there to help them, but I was too preoccupied trying to protect Gaara-san from our other intruder."

"What happened in your fight with him?" Hinata asked,

"I could barely lay a finger on him," Baki muttered, his fist clenched in frustration.

Sakura interjected, "he was that fast?"

"You misunderstand me, I literally couldn't lay a finger on him. Every attack I used passed straight through him like he wasn't even there, like he was a mirage. Even my sound based attacks didn't faze him; and just like that, he cut me down within an instant, leaving only Gaara-san to defend Sunagakure all by himself...I failed my Kazekage." In that moment the true rage and disappointment Baki had for these people were physically visible in his face. His teeth now gritted, he stood their reliving his failings over and over again, making his blood boil at what these bastards did to him and his village.

Baki was snapped out of his self-loathing by a hand placed on his shoulder. Hinata now stood before him, a stern yet reassuring look was apparent on her features. "Baki-san, don't be too hard on yourself. With a skill set like that, I bet he'd be a tough opponent to pin down."

"What worries me the most is that when I awoke I found no sign of a confrontation in the Kazekage chambers," Baki said, though a bit calmer thanks to Hinata's surprisingly bold choice to comfort him. "I don't know what happened, but that masked bastard must have done something to Gaara-san to make him unable to fight back. He _stole_ the Kazekage and laid waste to Sunagakure, that is unacceptable!"

"Don't worry, Baki-san, we'll stop at nothing to bring back your Kazekage and to bring those who did this to justice," Hinata stated firmly, her conviction as plain as day in her eyes.

Baki was taken a bit aback by the Hyuuga's strong claim, a small grin soon graced his lips - something a strongly willed man like Baki would normally never let cross his features. "...Thank you, Hyuuga-san." He said kindly, "you know, Sunagakure and Konoha might not have seen eye to eye in the past, but knowing that we can count on another village in our time of need is very much appreciated."

Hinata smiled back, "of course, if we wish to bring peace to these Elemental Nations, we must be prepared to do whatever it takes for our sister villages."

Sakura, silently watching this exchange from the two, couldn't help but think about how Hinata has shifted so drastically over the years. " _Hinata-chan, you've grown so much over the years, it's quite amazing to see….but I'm saddened that his death was the only thing that could bring this out of you. You've even adopted his cause, to hopefully bring peace to the world at all cost."_

"That's a very nice sentiment, I wish I could believe it. But with people like the Akatsuki running around I don't think the world could truly find peace." Baki said somberly as if he was speaking from experience. "They would rather uproot thousands of lives just to fulfill their own selfish desires. If I could, I would come with you three and take back our Kazekage by force, but unfortunately, someone needs to lead this village in Gaara's absence."

"We understand, that's why we're here." Sakura interjected, "we'll deal with them, you make sure your village can recover from this." With all said and done, Baki takes the three to their destination, the heavily trafficked medical ward where 2/3rds of the Sand siblings reside.

"Kankuro, Temari!" Sakura gasped, seeing their battered and bruised bodies strewn across their medical beds.

Sakura's gasp caught their attention, kankuro being the first to speak, "S-Sakura? You must be the….c-calvary, huh?" He tried to chuckle only to cough harshly into the back of his hand.

"Easy there Kankuro, don't talk." Sakura uttered, taking a spot next to Kankuro's bed - prepared to do what she could to heal him. "Here, let me-"

"N-No!" Kankuro hissed, gripping Sakura's wrist tightly, keeping it's healing touch at bay. "There's no time, we have plenty of Medical-nins here to patch us up, you three need to head out and get my brother, fast!"

"We came here to see if any of you have any clues as to where exactly they could have taken Gaara." Kakashi informed the two,

This time Temari was the one to speak, pulling herself into a semi-upright position. "No, none of them spoke of where they were going, who they work for, hell, we didn't even get their names. Unfortunately, we're no help to you three." She sighed, "All we know is their looks. One had blonde hair and a robotic type eye, the other wore an orange mask that looked to have like a swirl like design. I know that's not much to go on but-"

"Don't worry about it, you two have done plenty. We'll take it from here," Kakashi stated before Team Konoha decided that they needed to start on the culprits trail before it gets cold. So, exiting the medical ward of Suna hospital, the team made their way to the outskirts of Suna where they hope they can find some form of clue to guide them. "Hinata, use your Byakugan - they might have left us a trail for us to follow."

"Hai, Byakugan!" She scans the sand, picking through every last gram with her special eyes until she lands on a footprint laced with what seemed to be very potent chakra. This set of chakra heavy footprints continued deeper into the desert. "I-I found something,"

"What is it?" Kakashi asked

"A trail, follow me!" Hinata ran from the border of Sunagakure, dictated only by the trail set before her. " _This chakra, i-it looks….familiar."_

As both Naruto and the Konoha reinforcements begin to converge towards one specific point their targets were growing wise to the upcoming threat. "Oh, so it does seem like they've sent someone to try and retrieve their fallen Kazekage." A masked shinobi hummed as he peered behind him, looking beyond the trees and foliage in his way. "I was wondering when they would do something, I would have been disappointed if they didn't."

His partner sneered at his lack of motivation and rightfully bashed him for it. "Quit being so laid back about this, Tobi. The preparations for the ceremony still need to be put into place, if anyone disrupts it this whole mission was for nothing."

"Is that so? Well then, if that's the case, then how about you pay our little friend a visit. Dance with him, keeping him busy while the final preparations are set in place." Tobi stated as he took the unconscious body of the Fifth Kazekage from his disgruntled partner who didn't look that happy with his demands.

"I don't take orders from you, fool! Humph, if you desire a distraction, why don't you do it?" Deidara inquired rather curtly, glaring down his masked acquaintance with steely determination.

"Because I'm not the one with such explosive potential." Tobi hummed, peeking Deidara's attention for just a moment. "Besides, aren't you the one who's been complaining about not being able to show off your new artistic powers to the world yet? This could be your chance to shine,"

This caused Deidara to stop and ponder, maybe this was his time to shine, "...Humph, I suppose you do have a point." He smirked, turning towards his object with a chuckle. "The world has gone on for far too long without witnessing the new destructive power of my art, now, I'll prove to the world that nothing could ever stop my art from consuming everything!"

As Deidara took off towards his first opponent all Tobi could do was smirk at how simple his partner was to fool. " _I've never met a man so egotistical; I guess I should be glad I have him as my partner, he's so easy to manipulate."_

Now with a solid trail, Naruto was treading through the thick forest set before him, hot on the heels of the men who kidnapped one of his closest friends. Jumping from limb to limb as fast as his legs could carry him, Naruto was unprepared for what was to come. Without warning, the limb beneath him gave way in a small yet heated explosion, burning his left foot and sandal while also sending him to the harsh ground. Rolling to his feet as quickly as he could, Naruto quickly pulled out a kunai, scanning the darkest corners of the forest surrounding him, hoping to catch the individual who set that trap.

However, Naruto didn't have to wait very long as a white clay snake sprung from the forest floor towards him, giving him only moments to dodge before it also exploded, knocking him back a bit. "Your tricks are starting to get old, Deidara."

"Humph, art never gets old, it only matures." Deidara cooed, stepping out from his hiding spot, a smug grin still etched into his face just like the last time they clashed. "So, we meet again to finish our final confrontation once and for all."

"I knew the moment they mentioned a massive explosion you would have had something to do with it." Naruto mumbled, taking to his feet as he prepared for a battle.

Deidara merely shrugged before continuing his little speak. "Well, guilty as charged. My art has grown since we've last fought, Naruto, I hope you'll appreciate it."

"I've never been much of a fan of art, so I think I'll skip your demonstration and get to the part where I finally end you." Naruto's eyes locked onto his opponent watching his every move just to make sure he isn't hit with another sneak attack.

"You weren't able to end me before what makes you think you can do it now?" He asked, something moving under his baggy, dangling sleeves.

"Because this time you don't have your teammate to hide behind,"

Deidara merely chuckled, "an artist needs to live on to expand his art; so please, let me show you how far I've grown since our last battle." Once said, Deidara lifts his sleeves up, reveal what was hidden within them, clay like replicas of his original arms. From the tip of his fake hands all the way to the base of his elbow were fabricated arms that were made out of nothing but his famous art supply.

" _What the? C4 arms?! H-He replaced his original arms with C4?!"_ Naruto thought, surprised yet also sickened by the lengths this man was willing to go to keep wreaking havoc in this world. "You're a maniac,"

"No, I'm an artist prepared to do whatever is necessary for my muse! Now, enough talk, time to give you a taste of my genius!" And without warning, Deidara's form begins to glow a hellish white before exploding into massive plume of smoke and flames, almost taking Naruto out in his first attack.

Ducking into the forest surrounding them, Naruto couldn't' believe the amount of damage his first attack could do. " _He's lost it! He's prepared to blow up this entire forest to end me right here."_ Once he found a spot that he could take a moment. "You think your new arms are going to change anything? I took your arms before I can do it again,"

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong." Deidara's voice cooed from behind Naruto, sending a chill down his spin. Naruto goes on the offensive only to realize Deidara had already gained the upper hand. Now inches from Naruto's position, Deidara spoke, "no matter what you do to these arms, they'll always come back. C4 Detonation Punch!" And with a single punch, Deidara along with his arms exploded in a hellish blaze that elongated beyond the forest's canopy, alerting the Konoha back-up force to their location.

Sakura was the first to spot the plume of smoke bellowing from the forest. "What in the world was that?" She asked,

"I don't know, but whatever it was it can't be good," Kakashi said, focusing in on where exactly the explosion could have emanated from. "Hinata, what do you see?" He commanded only to hear silence. "H-Hinata?" He asked once more, looking to Hinata only to see her frozen in place; her Byakugan still active now pointing towards the recent explosion.

" _N-No, this can't be….I-I've seen this chakra signature before...it can't be!"_ and with that, Hinata took off without a word, quickly followed by Kakashi and Sakura, both of which were yelling for her attention and yet got nothing in return. The world around her fell apart, she couldn't hear nor could she see anything else except for this singular chakra signature, the one she's missed for 6 long years and now, somehow, it's shown up in an unexpected fashion. Hinata was prepared to get to the bottom of this no matter the cost.

 **-5 Minutes Later-**

A symphony of explosions and fireworks rattled the very ground the opponents stood on as Deidara began to unleash his pent up aggression on a surprisingly defensive Naruto. Explosion after explosion nearly cooked the young blonde alive and yet he always seemed reactionary than anything else, but simple things such as that were lost on Deidara's spree of destruction and mayhem. All he could see was red and he wasn't going to stop until the man who took his arms away was nothing but a stain on the forest floor. "Hmm, I might have overdid it just a tad there," Deidara chuckled as he looked upon another one of his many craters he created during this battle. However, before he could get comfortable a kunai whizzed through the air, narrowly avoiding slashing Deidara in the cheek. "Heh, I'm surprised that explosion didn't liquify your insides."

Dropping down from his hidden perch, Naruto makes his way towards his enemy, his face now more serious than ever before. "It'll take a lot more than a weak pyro display like that to keep me down,"

"You talk a big game for someone who's delivered zero offense in this battle," Deidara snickered, turning to his prey before "What's wrong, terrified of my retribution?"

"No, merely sizing you up," he sighed, popping a few kinks that have lodged themselves in his neck during this battle.

Deidara cocked a brow at this statement, "oh," he said, "and what have you learned so far?"

"You're still far too predictable," and just like that, a clone popped out from the vegetation behind Deidara, a fully formed Rasengan hovering over his palm as he descends upon his prey, hand extended. Deidara with little time to react, thrusted his own fist towards the descending Rasengan only for it to rip through the clay like digits as if it were nothing. Panicked by the utter decimation of his C4 appendage, Deidara could do nothing else but detonate what remained and hopefully escape scott free.

The appendage trigger at the exact moment Naruto's Rasengan had reached his elbow, covering the battle zone in a thick, black smog - giving Deidara the upper hand against his foe, or at least that's what he believed.

As he hunkered down in his makeshift mist Deidara went to work on creating another arm only to come face to face with another Naruto, this one brandishing a kunai. Without so much as a warning, Deidara was blindsided by a single swipe, slashing his cheek clean open. Prepared to use another detonating punch against his blonde aggressor, he was taken by surprise once again as he found another Naruto right behind him, already inches from digging his kunai into Deidara's last remaining C4 limb.

" _Bastard, I see your game,"_ Deidara thought bitterly, narrowly dodging his attacker's slash towards his last remaining arms, " _you're pressuring me, trying to keep me on my toes so I can't reform my arms - well, let's see how you handle when I push back!"_ With a flex of his fingers, clay like snakes began to form and drop to the ground, slithering towards his opponent with vicious intent. " _That should hold him off for a bi-"_ however, his thought was interrupted by the one man he hated the most, Naruto Uzumaki, who, instead of wielding a kunai, had a swirling ball of chakra hovering in his palm. " _Damn it!"_ Deidara yelled before feeling the Rasengan connect with his back, shredding through his clothing and, eventually, his flesh.

"Rasengan!" And with one hefty shove the orb took off with Deidara along for the ride, spinning his frame in a devastating manner. The Rasengan orb carved through the forest with Deidara's body taking the brunt of the assault; only stopping when the Rasengan was low on chakra, dumping the C4 expert's body a yard away from Naruto, his only remaining C4 arm now gone because of the torce of the attack.

"D-Damnit, I can't believe I was...s-so careless," Deidara wheezed, a simple moment of hesitation caused him this battle, but he refused to win this war. He went to stand, cursing the blonde boy who put him such a position. "E-Enjoy your victory...w-while you can, I'll be b-back," However, Deidara's escape was short lived as his opponent now stood before him, seemingly unfazed by this battle, which couldn't infuriate Deidara anymore than it has already.

"Predictable," he repeated, boiling Deidara's blood.

"I-I'll show you predictabl-" A harsh stomp to the face silenced Deidara,

"You've fallen on your laurels, Deidara. Still using your same old tricks; I thought you said you were an artist, not a sellout," Naruto began, watching as the form artist is now barely able to function let alone stand up. "I remembered our last battle, when you and Sasori nearly killed me with your strength in numbers and yet, even after all these years of preparation and planning you still refused to change."

"You...how dare you preach to me! You do not change perfection, and that is what my art is, it is perfection, my art is pure - you know nothing!" Deidara yelled defiantly, refusing to heed his opponent's words - he'd rather die a proud fool than to admit his art was flawed.

"Stubborn to the very end, Deidara." Naruto said, tired of this useless back and forth. Producing his left hand, his trademarked Rasengan sprung to life in an instant and he made his way toward his enemy. "This is the end of our little saga, Deidara-san. I wish this could have ended another wa-"

" **NARUTO-KUN/SAN?**!"

Naruto paused, his final blow against his opponent now a distant memory as the voices who called him rang within his mind making his heart skip a single beat. Looking towards the source of the voice he spots visions, almost seemed like phantoms of what his friends once were before it all gave way to who the truly were now. "K-Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan...H-Hinata-chan?! What are you three doing here?"

The group stood their, in blatant shock at the scene before them - there stood a man the thought they buried years ago now prepared to finish off one of the few remaining Akatsuki members...it was beyond surreal for each of them. "T-This is impossible, we thought you were dead! We saw what was left of you," Kakashi uttered, taken aback by Naruto's visage standing before him. For so long he blamed himself for losing another student - for failing not just Naruto during their early years as a team but also Sasuke but now, standing right infront of him was a ghost, a spectre he never thought he'd ever see again.

Sakura gasped, her hands hovering over her lips as her eyes begin to water, staring at Naruto for what felt like hours before uttering a single word. "This can't be real, I-I thought you were gone forever! I thought I'd lost another teammate!"

Hinata, her lips now quivering and her mind racing with thoughts merely couldn't help but do nothing but gawk at the blonde as everything she thought she knew bombarded her again and again. For years now, she cried herself to sleep knowing that the only person that she's ever loved was gone - for years now she's tried her damndest to be strong and move forward as he'd want her to….for years now she's wondered what would have happened if she wasn't such a coward and spoke to him like a normal human being...and yet, here he stood, alive and breathing.

It was almost to good to be true. A whole host of emotions fled through the group but the one immediate feeling that came to all of them was confusion and joy, non felt joy more so than our lavender haired beauty who could only mutter a single word, "...N-Naruto-kun…."

He wanted to say something, he _needed_ to say something….but now was not the time. A 6 year absence could not be cleared up properly in a few minutes and right now he had to deal with both Deidara and Gaara's impending fate - so, with a heavy heart, Naruto know what he must do. "...I'll explain everything later, right now we need to save Gaar-" however, Naruto's statement was soon cut short as Deidara used this opportunity to spring into action.

"Feel the pain of my art!" With a hellish swing, Deidara detonated his newly reformed fists against Naruto's chest, shaking the very earth with his last resort. The group of three look on in horror as they might have just watched the demise of their friend once more and it was all their fault for distracting him. "Humph, h-how predictable was that, you bastard!" The blond artist smirked, his body now limp after exerting such effort.

As the smoke began to settle and the forest grew quiet Deidara turned towards his next victims, the still shell shocked comrades of the recently deceased Naruto Uzumaki. "Y-You...you bastard!" Surprisingly Hinata was the one who yelled such a guttural word before charging the individual with her Byakugan blazing to life.

"Come then, let's so how you fair against m-" His words were silence as something rather unexpected happened. Without warning a large red translucent fist exploded from the smoke and latched onto Deidara's torso before dragging him back into the smog. Once engulfed in the smoke a chorus of pained wails and screams soon followed as Deidara was being mercilessly beaten by this unknown force only to be thrown out with ballistic speeds a few moments later.

The smoke finally cleared to reveal none other than Naruto Uzumaki, now covered in the red cloak of bubbling chakra gifted to him by his tenant, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. "How about you finish your fight with me before picking one with my friends,"

"N-Naruto-kun, you're alive!" Hinata practically weeped, rushing to his side with reckless abandoned.

"Hinata-chan," Naruto said kindly, gifting the young Hyuuga heiress a tender smile. Merely seeing a friendly face once again brought a joy to his heart that couldn't be fully describe with words...and yet he knew that he couldn't dwell on such a feeling right now. "Now's not the time, right now you three need to focus on saving Gaara. Every second we waste talking the more danger he's in." He said, pushing his feelings back within himself.

Hinata was taken aback by this, "But Naruto-kun…"

But, Hinata's more calmly approach was silenced in favor of a more vicious and loud approach given out by non other than the hot headed Haruno herself. Stomping up beside Hinata, Sakura had her fist clenched yet tears still streaming from her eyes, a true show of who she truly was at this very moment, an emotional mess. "Hey! Don't you dare give us any lip, you ass! How lon-" she began only to get so far into her rage induced rant before a hand grabbed her by her shoulder.

"Sakura, he's right." Kakashi said calmly, his eyes now locked with his recently discovered student as the share a single nod for confirmation. "Though I have thousands of questions I want answered, our mission comes first, we need to get moving,"

"Thank you Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, "after all of this is over I'll be more than happy to tell you everything,"

"You better!" Sakura yelled, trying to keep her composter with….mixed results.

"Right," Kakashi nodded,

Locking eyes with Naruto one last time, Hinata agreed, "a-alright,"

The rage filled cries of one Deidara caught the four man team's attention as he summoned his clay dragon for battle, "I will not be made a fool of by the likes of you! I'll destroy you with every ounce of clay in my body!"

Naruto took his stance, prepared to continue this battle years in the making. "Get moving, now."

As Sakura and Kakashi headed off towards their destination, Hinata held back - worried for Naruto's well being. "A-Are you sure you can handle him by yourself?" She asked,

"Trust me, Hinata-chan, I'm not alone. Now get going," Naruto said, placing his hand firmly on his stomach as Hinata followed suit behind her friends - peering over her shoulder one last time. "Come at me, Deidara! Let's see what you can do!"

While the battle still raged between the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and the belligerent artist, Tobi has finished his task to deliver young Gaara to his rightful place, before the members of the Akatsuki that stand above both he and Tobi, all of them but smoke and mirrors. "Tobi, where is Deidara?" Their leader spoke, his piercing eyes one of the most menacing thing about him.

The masked individual he was addressing answered simply, "he's...busy dealing with an old friend, he's left me to deal with the final preparation for the Bijuu extraction."

"Will this 'old friend' delay our plans?" Another chimed in, this one taking up refuge on the pillar beside their leader, her voice harsh and coarse.

"That all depends on the skill level of my teammate," he answered rather curtly, though accurately. "Now, everything is prepared Lord Pein, shall we commence extraction?"

"Hai," Pein announced, preparing to extract the very essence of the Bijuu from within Gaara's being...however, such a plan was stopped when the base around them began to shake - a small yet noticeable crack began to form up the boulder blocking their entrance. "Tobi,"

"Hm, Deidara must have failed in his efforts." He said, deciding it'd be best if he took this matter into his own hands. "I'll keep them distracted, Lord Pein, you finish what must be done." With that, the Akatsuki commenced with their ritual while Tobi took off to finish the deed Deidara couldn't.

"Sakura, are you sure you can bust through this?" Hinata questioned as she watched Sakura land another earth shaking strike against the hefty outer exterior of this boulder, lengthening the crack going along side the gigantic rock.

With another punch delivered to the boulder, Sakura turns to her partner and merely chuckled at such a question. "Of course I can, I've punched through rocks 10 times larger than this one,"

"Fascinating," a chilling voice muttered from out of view, sending a shiver down Sakura's spine. "But can you punch through something that cannot be touched?" With little warning, the visage of a masked man stepped out from the boulder, seemingly fazing through it with ease as he now stood before them. "More reinforcements I presume?"

"You!" Sakura hissed, taking a few steps back as she prepared for a fight - her friends following suit. "You're the one who helped decimate Sunagakure, aren't you? The one who can phase through any attack?"

"My fame precedes me," The masked individual said coyly. "My name is Tobi and I'll be your opponent today, show me what you've got."

"Oh I'll show you! You'll pay for everything you've done," Sakura went for a super charged hail mary but found herself phasing through his masked face like it was nothing. Once through, Sakura whipped back around for another, hopefully surprising, fist to his gut only to find herself once again flying through his torso.

Tobi looked towards Sakura, his voice seemed rather unamused by her feats of strength. "Are you done?"

" _Damn, Baki wasn't lying when he said he couldn't touch him. Not even my strongest punch could touch him,"_ she thought as she turned to face Tobi once more. "We're far from done,"

As if on cue, each member of team Konoha took off towards him, prepared to give him everything they had. "Good, I'd hate for this fight to be as one sided as it was with my last opponent. I hope you three put up more of a fight than he did," he retorted. "Well then, let's begin."

As the three manned team makes their first encounter with their opponent, Naruto is still dealing with his own who, at this moment, was on high throwing down devastating C4 bombs, scorching the earth below him, hoping to take out Naruto in the process. "Yes, that's right, run! Run like the coward you are, it's only a matter of time before my art blows you into oblivion!" As the demented artist monologues, Naruto is blitzing through the trees and bushes below, dodging the hellish explosions that drop from on high, hoping to find a way to take this bastard down.

"Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In an instant, 12 Naruto's appeared, each wearing a similar red aura around their frames and without a single word uttered the group dispersed, spreading themselves out throughout the canopy. Once in position each clone raised their arm to the sky, extending their claw like cloak towards the heavens or, more specifically, a clay dragon that deserves to be grounded.

Seeing the claws rush towards his potion Deidara dived just as the claws close in on his past position and quickly headed off towards another area, the arms quickly following behind. Each twist or harsh turn Deidara took with his mighty dragon was quickly followed by the growing number of chakra hands, leaving him with little room to maneuver. Before he could make another evasive maneuver, another hand bursted from the canopy, but this one held a nasty surprise for the flying bomb expert, a monstrously sized Rasengan that dwarfed the last one Deidara encountered. With little options to go with, either being snagged by the many chakra hands snapping at the bit to rip him to shreds or be pulverized by the massive Rasengan growing closer every second, he dismounts his flying beast and did the only sensible thing he could think about, detonate it!

A massive, white hot explosion clashed with a spiralling sphere of chakra in a mesmerizing display of power and pure, destructive force, it could almost bring a tear to a man's eye - but the beauty of this explosion was lost on Naruto as he lined up for the final blow. Rushing into position, the real Naruto made his way to an opening below the canopy, lining up his shot against the now falling Deidara who was trying frantically to create another mount. Once he felt ready for the next attack Naruto pushed himself off the ground with his extending arm and launched himself towards the descending Deidara at blinding speeds, taking his opponent by surprise. Naruto cocked back his fist and collided it with Deidara's unprotected face, sending him flying backwards only to be grabbed again by Naruto's outstretched chakra arm. With a mighty yell, Naruto twisted his body and spiked Deidara into the ground below like a football, leaving a sizeable crater for Deidara to wallow in. Pulling himself to the ground with his extending chakra claw, Naruto landed mere inches from the crater, releasing his Kyuubi cloak for the time being.

" _Thank you, Kurami-chan, but I think I'll take the rest from here,"_ Naruto thanked as he dispelled his cloak along with his last remaining clones as he walked closer to Deidara's entry point. "That's enough Deidara, I think this battle is over,"

"Y-You're wrong, this battle will never be over...s-so long as I can draw breath!" He stumbles to his feet, taking one last, pitiful swing at Naruto with his last remaining C4 hand only to miss by a mile. Fatigue began to set in as Deidara fell from the momentum of his swing, landing him on a single knee, his breath now ragged and uneven.

"End this now, Deidara. I don't wish to kill you, but I will if you pose a threat to my village." Naruto said, his good natured side still very apparent even after all these years.

"Y-You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He wheezed, raising once again to face his final foe. Even Deidara knew that this was going to be his final performance; his body was in shambles after that last attack, his mind blurred and his vision nearly non existent. Even a fool could tell that Deidara was licked, but that didn't mean he wished to die on a whimper, he wanted to go out with a bang! "A-A broken artist...admitting defeat. B-But I refuse, I'd rather t-take you and everyone...else with me in my final display t-than….t-to give up and s-spare this world one final look a-at perfection." As Deidara began to rant and rave, a odd vein like texture began to expand across his body, originating from over his heart.

Noticing this, Naruto began to speak, "Deidara, what are you-"

"I'm giving you one final gift, Naruto. For pushing me past my limits I'll show you my final masterpiece!" Naruto went to run but was stopped by the final words uttered by Deidara, "Try and run, it won't make a difference! This explosion could wipe out an entire village! No matter how fast you run you can never outrun this!"

" _With that type of range...the others will be caught up in the blast as well, I can't let this happen!"_ Naruto seethed as he racked his brain for any way that he could stop Deidara's plan.

"Humph, what are you doing, scheming? Trying to think of a way to defeat me? Well, I'll let you in on a little secret, regardless of what you do the bomb will still go off!" He raved, a sick, joyous smile growing across his lips at the idea of finally ending this brat once and for all. "Attack me, boom! Run away, boom! Do nothing, BOOM! You have no escape,"

"I guess I have no choice then," Naruto sighed, taking steps towards the unprotected time bomb. "This hasn't been fully tested yet, might as well use it now."

"Oh, a new move?! Well, come on, try it out! Might as well get one use out of it before I blow you to kingdom come!" Taking what Deidara said to heart, Naruto tightened his fist and charged forward, his eyes locked onto his given foe. With one last swing, Naruto dug deep and planted his fist deep into Deidara's gut - causing the artist to gag viciously. "I-Is that all y-you've got?" he winced, Naruto's fist still twisting in the grove it created. "W-Well, I'll give you this...t-that was a strong punc-"

"Uzu Rasengan (Vortex Spiraling sphere)," his words caused Deidara's blood to run cold as he felt a small tug at the the point of contact. As Naruto opens his palm it is revealed that a small inverse Rasengan resided there, now pulling at Deidara's very being with growing force. At first it merely pulled his loose clothing towards it but quickly it began to pull harshly against Deidara's body, slowly sucking him in like a vicious vortex.

"W-What the hell is that thing!?" Deidara yelled, trying to pull back but only to find himself being pulled back with far more force than he could muster.

"I've spent years trying to master all of the secrets of the Rasengan, so far I've made 3 different variants, this one is kinda like a reverse Rasengan." Naruto stated firmly, bearing the rotating orb closer to his body. "Instead of spinning outwards towards my opponent, it spins inward, absorbing the target like a whirlpool sucks in a ship."

"Y-You bastard! Y-You think this is over, you think that this technique will save you?! My bomb will still set, I'll still take you with me!" Deidara spat, belligerent and defiant to the very end.

"This technique shreds your body like a blinder, I don't think your bomb will be setting off anytime soon." Naruto informed his combatant, a mix of triumph yet sadness in his tone of voice. "This technique wasn't meant to be used yet, it's still too slow for a quick death. I never wanted my opponents to suffer...but you gave me no choice in this matter, Deidara. So this death is your own fault," with his final words given out, Naruto adds a bit more chakra into his ability and pushes forward, sending a larger vortex orb forward, dragging Deidara along with it. Now, in the middle of their battle field the darker Rasengan floats, sucking in Deidara's body one piece at a time, filling the forest with the pained screams of the once cocky artist and for just a moment, Naruto felt sorry for the poor bastard.

He wasn't lying when he said he didn't want this for him, the technique was still months away from completion and watching another human being, being sucked up and shredded in slow, agonising detail wasn't something Naruto wanted for his foes - but how could he not use it knowing that without it he along with his friends would have been nothing more than ash if Deidara had his way.

Soon, the orb died down, leaving no trace of Deidara behind. The deide had been done, there was nothing else he could do but go give his friends the support they need to retrieve the Fourth Kazekage; so Naruto pushed off, prepared to take on whatever opponent he must face only to hear a shuffling in the bushes.

He looks back, hoping to find his new assailant there but was surprised to only find a squirrel hopping out of the bushes with a nut firmly gripped in his little paws. With a sigh, Naruto turned to continue on his journey, coming into eye contact with two red orbs, decorated with three black tomoes - the Sharingan.

"Tsukuyomi," A voice droned, sealing Naruto's fate the moment he locked eyes with an Uchiha.

A landscape of red met Naruto's eyes as he awakens within the perfect genjutsu, Tsukuyomi. This vast empty space held only to people, the newly tapped individual known as Naruto and his trapper, one Itachi Uchiha, who, as we spoke was being formed within this genjutsu by a flock of crows.

With a sigh, Naruto turned to his now formed host - his expression anything but pleased. "You know, you could have just asked if we could talk, Itachi-san. You know how much of a headache I get after this Tsukuyomi crap,"

"My apologies, but this is the only way to keep our conversations truly private." The man stated, a light smirk playing on his features at his friend's playful banter.

"Humph, why is it everytime I hear you apologize for something it sounds fake and forced, Itachi?" Naruto chuckled as the visage of one of his closest informants came into view. Itachi Uchiha, one of the best shinobi Konoha has had in a long time, one who is selfless and willing to do anything for his village has been helping Naruto gain the intel he needed against the Akatsuki, without him he'd never have known how to take down both Kakuzu and Hidan. Naruto and Itachi have grown close over the years, nothing too deep but each have found a mutually healthy respect for each other's willingness to do whatever it took to protect what's precious to them. "Well, I don't think you would have trapped me in this red and black hell scape without a reason to so what would you like to tell me?"

"A few things actually," Itachi informed, "The Akatsuki have started back their hunt for Jinchuuriki's, their first target was Gaara and it seems their next target is the Three tailed Bijuu whose whereabouts are still a mystery to us. Though their have been sightings of it across the land of waves."

Damn, does that mean that they have enough manpower to do that?" Naruto inquired, recalling the main reason the held off of hunting down the Jinchuuriki's was because of their lack of manpower and thanks to Naruto just killing another member, they're down 4 of their original 9 members.

Itachi nods, "they seem to be gathering more forces by an unforeseen ally, one in which Pein has yet told any of the Akatsuki members."

"Must be a strong one if he's so confident that they can move forward with their plans in such a short amount of time," Naruto inferred before peering towards his partner in crime with a simple question. "Do you have any ideas on who it could be?"

"No," Itachi answered in his usual stoic tone.

Soon, an idea came to Naruto's mind - one that he knew Itachi wouldn't be fond of. "...Could it be Sasuke?"

"...A possibility I hope is simply that, a possibility." Itachi answered truthfully, though a piece of him wished it wasn't true. Nothing hurts him more knowing that his brother now walks a dark path that he himself put him on, but he couldn't deny that their is a possibility Sasuke has aligned himself with the Akatsuki. "The last piece of information I've received on my brother was that he was building a small team named Taka to come and end my life...that was 3 years ago. Now, I've heard nothing - not a single mention of the name Sasuke Uchiha in the last 3 years of searching. I worry what's happened to him," Itachi said, his brotherly worry still very much apparent in his words. "...Do you still search for him?"

"Of course, he's a rouge shinobi from Konoha - I keep my pulse on all of them," Naruto answered without much thought,

"I'm not asking the leader of Konoha's spy web, I'm asking Sasuke's friend," Itachi retorted, catching Naruto a bit off guard.

Naruto hasn't really thought about Sasuke as a friend for quite some time now. He was nearly killed by him 6 years ago and all Sasuke has done is spiral out of control ever sense; a part of him felt like he should continue to chase him as he planned to all those years ago but….what would it accomplish? "...It was 6 years ago, I have a lot of things that are more important to me than someone who's unwilling to look past their rage and lust for vengeance,"

"His vengeance is not misplaced though, weather it was for a proper cause or not I did take away his clan and his family. He has every right to hate me," Itachi spoke rather numbly about his actions all those years ago, the images of his freshly slain family and friends still burned into his memories.

Trying to keep things on track, Naruto decides to bring up something that he's been thinking about for quite some time. "Speaking of your sacrifice, I've been meaning to speak to you about your time with the Akatsuki. I believe it's time for you to return to Konoha,"

"...W-What," shockingly, Naruto was actually able to get a modicum of emotion out of this typically dry human being, that being shock.

"I spoke with Lady Tsunade about this all through the night last night, I believe you deserve to come back home," he repeated.

"I don't...understand, the whole reason I did what I did was to be seen as a deserter, a traitor to my village to save our clan's name - for the Uchiha clan to be seen as a clan slaughtered by a madman and not the traitors they were prepared to be. I was my clan's martyr and me coming back undones all of this." Itachi questioned, racking his mind as to why the Hokage would agree to such a thing.

"We touched on that as well and we came up with an answer for that," Naruto began. "Your job was to save Konoha from your clan's revolt and also help us spy on the Akatsuki - and you did what you were asked to the letter, I think that gives you the right to come home." He said, nodding in affirmation of his own statement. "Sarutobi and Danzo might have thought that this charade should have lasted till the end of your life but...I'll be damned if I see a hero die a villain,"

"...Well, that might not be up to you. I _am_ dying," Itachi muttered critically, placing his hand over his chest. "I'd hoped that this illness I've contracted was something minor, but now I've been taking medication for a year now merely to keep the side effects at bay."

Naruto grew quiet at this news, "is it terminal?" He asked,

"I'm not sure. One of the drawbacks of being a missing - nin is not being allowed proper medical treatment by competent doctors." He said in a rather morbidly humorous tone. "Along with my deteriorating health, my eyes - the cornerstone of my clan - are failing me."

"Well then, I guess we should get you back to Konoha pronto then." Naruto answered with missing a single beat. Though this news was tragic, Naruto wasn't willing to lose hope for a comrade in need just yet. "I was suggesting we wean you out of the Akatsuki slowly but if you're falling apart we need to bring you back to where we can put you back together again."

Itachi looked to him, his stern eyes fixated on his intently, "do you really think something like this can be fixed?"

"The illness is something Tsunade and Shizune could sure as hell fix with enough time and effort while the eyes thing, well….I'm not 100% on Uchiha anatomy, do you know anything about fixing your Sharingan?" Naruto asked, tapping his chin.

"Yes, but I'm unwilling to do what must be done to heal my fading sight." he answered emphatically. "To truly reverse the effects of the Mangekyo Sharingan you must transplant another's Mangekyo with your own, problem being they must have strong blood ties to one another,"

Piecing two and two together, Naruto finished itachi's sentence. "You'd have to take Sasuke's eyes to do it,"

"I'd rather die blind and suffering than steal my brother's eyes from him,"

"Very well, fixing your eyes is off the table I suppose but fixing your body shouldn't be." He said with a sigh. "You've sacrificed enough for your village, you deserve to live a life without persecution, without hatred and without recognition of your accomplishments."

"I didn't do this for recognition,"

"You did it to save the village you loved and you did that, now it's time to return to that village." Naruto walked closer to his long standing informant, offering a hand to his black haired partner with a warming smile, "come on, let's both go home."

 **Thank you all so much for reading my story, I hope you all enjoyed it and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update this one, I've been bouncing back and forth between so much stuff that I can barely keep track of what I've updated and what I haven't updated. Also, full disclouser I'll be messing around with the canon, as you can tell by the 6 years into the future, Deidara's C4 arms and me bringing Itachi back to Konoha. This stories gonna be a bit different, I'm going to try and write out of my own comfort zone and produce something a bit different, I hope you all enjoy different.**

 **Anyway, please review and PM me if you have any questions, Alucard1959 out! Peace!**


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